Deepotsav lights up potters’ homes, bringing new opportunities to Ayodhya’s youth

Ayodhya, Oct 2025 : Since Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched Deepotsav in 2017, the festival has not only illuminated Ayodhya but also brightened the lives of local potter families. Once compelled to migrate for work, many youths are now self-reliant, reviving the city’s traditional clay artistry. The celebration has become a powerful symbol of cultural pride and economic revival.

This year, Ayodhya is poised to set a new record by lighting 26,11,101 lamps during the ninth Deepotsav. Under the Chief Minister’s direction, preparations are in full swing, with students, officials, and volunteers from Avadh University working tirelessly to make the festival another historic spectacle.

Brij Kishore Prajapati, a potter from Jaisinghpur village, said his family has been making diyas every year since the launch of Deepotsav. This time, they have received an order for two lakh diyas. “The Deepotsav tradition started by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has given families like ours steady employment. Today, we are self-reliant,” he said with pride.

Potters are abandoning traditional methods and using modern electric wheels. This has not only increased production, but also improved the quality of the diyas. Over 40 potter families in Jaisinghpur village are working day and night to make clay diyas for the festival.

Before 2017, these potters struggled to make ends meet. Their lives have completely changed since Deepotsav celebrations began in Ayodhya. Previously, these families earned 20,000 to 25,000 rupees a month, but now, during the festival alone, they earn lakhs of rupees.

Pinky Prajapati of Sohawal says that this year she has received an order to make one lakh diyas. She said, “Earlier, diyas were sold cheaply during Diwali, but now, thanks to the government’s call, they are fetching good prices in the market.”

On the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, clay diyas are being given priority during the festival of lights. This has led to a large number of orders for local potters. There is a festive atmosphere in Jaisinghpur, Vidyakund, Sohawal, and the surrounding villages.

Hundreds of entire families, including local Ayodhya residents Ram Bhavan Prajapati, Guddu Prajapati, Raju Prajapati, Jagannath Prajapati, Sunil Prajapati, and Santosh Prajapati, are busy kneading clay, shaping, drying, and selling diyas.

Know when and how many diyas were lit.
Year Dipaval (Lights) Lit
2017 1.71 lakh
2018 3.01 lakh
2019 4.04 lakh
2020 6.06 lakh
2021 9.41 lakh
2022 15.76 lakh
2023 22.23 lakh
2024 25.12 lakh