Deepawali marks the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. But despite this glorious context, Ayodhya was not known for its grand Deepawali celebration before two years ago. In March 2017, BJP swept Uttar Pradesh Assembly election and Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister of the state. In the same year, Yogi Government introduced a grand Deepawali celebration in Ayodhya. The world witnessed the splendor of about 1.71 lakh earthen lamps lit on the banks of the Sarayu River.

This year Deepawali celebration in Ayodhya extended to another level when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath renamed the district Faizabad as ‘Ayodhya’. He also announced the setting up of a grand statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya which according to the Chief Minister will become a landmark for the city.

Of course, the presence of South Korean First Lady Kim Jung was special. She laid the foundation stone for Rs 50 crore monument in the name of ancient era South Korean Queen Heo Hwang-ok. The story is that this queen known in India as ‘Suriratna’ belonged to Ayodhya and went all the way to South Korea in 48 AD and married the King. Thus, a larger cultural significance of Ayodhya has been conveyed to the world by having Lady Kim who belongs to the Suriratna dynasty as a Deepawali guest.