On the banks of the sacred Saryu river in Ayodhya, flames multiplied by the thousands on the evening of Saturday, November 7, 2026 — as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Vice President of India, C.P. Radhakrishnan, stood together for the divine aarti of Punya Salila Maa Saryu, the river long woven into the spiritual fabric of this ancient city.

The Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh shared the moment on X, opening with a verse from the Ramcharitmanas — 'Saraju naam sumangal moola, lok bed mat manjul koola' — meaning 'The Saryu, whose very name is the root of all auspiciousness, whose banks are celebrated in scripture and in the hearts of the people.' The post confirmed both leaders participated in the Deepotsav 2026 celebrations under the hashtags #Deepotsav2026 and #deepostav1dasak, the latter suggesting this edition marks a decade of the festival.

A Decade of Diyas: Deepotsav Turns Ten

Deepotsav was launched as a state-supported cultural event in Ayodhya in 2017, the same year CM Yogi Adityanath assumed office. What began as a symbolic rekindling of Ayodhya's religious identity has grown into one of the largest festival-of-lights spectacles in the country, with hundreds of thousands of earthen lamps lit along the Saryu ghats each year. The hashtag #deepostav1dasak — referencing one decade — lends the 2026 edition a milestone weight that sets it apart from previous years.

The Vice President's presence alongside the Chief Minister elevates this year's event to a national occasion, signalling that Ayodhya's cultural resurgence has moved firmly from state ambition to the centre of India's civilisational narrative.

Ayodhya's Transformation as the Stage

Ayodhya, regarded as the birthplace of Lord Rama, has been the focal point of Uttar Pradesh's religious tourism push since 2017. The inauguration of the Ram Mandir added further momentum to what was already a sustained infrastructure and pilgrimage-development drive. Deepotsav sits at the heart of that effort — a cultural event engineered to draw pilgrims, tourists, and national attention to the city's riverfront simultaneously.

Each edition has attempted to outscale the last, whether in the number of diyas lit, the length of the illuminated ghats, or the prominence of guests in attendance. A Vice Presidential visit to the aarti suggests 2026 is no exception.

The Saryu Aarti: Ritual at the Centre of It All

The aarti of the Saryu — performed at dusk with lamps, incense, and Sanskrit chants — is not a new tradition. What is new is its scale and its political visibility. The Tulsidas verse chosen to open the official post is deliberate: it frames the river not merely as geography but as scripture, anchoring the state's celebration in classical devotional literature. For pilgrims arriving in Ayodhya Dham, the sight of a Chief Minister and a Vice President standing at the riverbank with the same flame they carry is a powerful image of institutional reverence for living tradition.

As the tenth Deepotsav closes its curtains on the Saryu ghats, the question the next edition will have to answer is simple: how do you outshine a decade?