Yogi Adityanath govt to light 1.7 lakh diyas along Saryu river, break Ram Rahim Singh's Guinness World Record

The Uttar Pradesh government has made grand plans to celebrate Diwali during Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s visit to Ayodhya on Wednesday, according to media reports. [caption id=“attachment_4135461” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. PTI[/caption] The government is set to break the Guinness World Record for the largest display of oil lamps set by jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by lighting 1.71 lakh diyas (earthen-lamps) along the Saryu river on Wednesday evening, India Today reported. The DSS chief lit 1.5 lakh diyas at an event on 23 September, 2016, according to the report. According to the Guinness World Records website, the largest display of oil lamps consists of 150,009 lamps achieved at an event organised by Ram Rahim in Haryana. One thousand five hundred and thirty-one participants took part in assembling and lighting the lamps for this display, according to the website. According to  News18, most of the diyas that will be used for the mega event are being manufactured at Kumhartola of Harsinghpur. As a part of the plan, a diya will be placed on every square metre. An event company from Gujarat has been specially roped in by the authorities to ensure smooth flow of the event. In addition, some preparations have been made to divert the flow of the wind for five minutes, in order to make the world record. The trial run of the event will be held on Tuesday at the banks of the Saryu River, according to the report. Officials say Yogi, who is head priest of the Gorakhnath temple, will conduct an aarti on the banks of the river Saryu,  NDTV reported. “Ramayan is 10,000 years old and Ayodhya is an integral part of it. It was a developed city even back then and people continue to come here from all over. To connect with its illustrious past is a matter of pride for us,” Yogi said. “Ayodhya is a matter of faith for us and Ram is an idol,” he told Zee News. Follow Yogi Adityanath in Ayodhya on our liveblog here