NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh government has invited bids for installing statues of Lord Ram and Hanuman in Ayodhya ahead of the Diwali festivities later this month.

In a short-term tender issued on Thursday, UP Lalit Kala Akademi, the state-run academy for fine arts, called for the installation of two fibre statues of Hanuman, one of Ram, and a fibre 'diya' (earthen lamp) at Ram ki Paidi, a series of ghats on the bank of River Saryu, where devotees pray.

Secretary to Lalit Kala Akademi, Yashwant Singh Rathod, said the statues will be installed on October 24, as a part of the annual Deepotsav, one day before the two-day festival commences.

While the Uttar Pradesh government is tipped to install a 151-metre statue of Lord Ram in the temple town, there has been no progress on this front, yet.

