November 12, 2023 – 4:03 p.m
A woman lights a lantern to celebrate Diwali. Photo: Vishal Bhatnagar / AFP
More than 2.2 million oil lamps were lit for 45 minutes in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, a northern Indian state bordering Nepal, and fireworks were set off over the Saryu River during India’s Diwali celebration. With this, the country set a Guinness record: never before have so many oil lamps burned at the same time and for so long.
Ayodhya holds special significance for Hindus as it is the birthplace of their most revered deity, Lord Ram.
The oil lamps were lit at dusk on Saturday and burned for 45 minutes while people lining the river bank sang Hindu songs. After the lights were counted, state elected official Yogi Adityanath was presented with a certificate to commemorate the record.
Diwali, the festival of light, is a national holiday in India and is celebrated on November 12.
The record certainly didn’t do much good for air quality in India, a few days earlier two cities in the country were classified as having the worst air quality in the world.
