Diwali 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said Diwali, the ‘Festival of Light’, is “special” as Lord Ram, also known as Ram Lalla, will celebrate the festival at the Ayodhya temple for the first time in 500 years.

“I extend my warmest greetings to all the citizens of Dhanteras. In just two days, we will also be celebrating Diwali, and this year’s Diwali is particularly special. After 500 years, Lord Ram is sitting in his great temple in Ayodhya, and this will be the first Diwali that celebrated with him at his beautiful temple. We are all very happy to witness such a special and grand Diwali,” said Modi.

Prime Minister Modi addressed the youth at Rozgar Mela where he distributed over 51,000 appointment letters virtually.

2024 marks the first Diwali festival for the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya after it was inaugurated in January 2024. The temple was built after the Supreme Court cleared the way for its construction following the Gyanvapi case that dragged on for years. The Supreme Court had also directed the government to provide a sizeable plot of land in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque.

‘Special’ and eco-friendly Diwali

The Yogi-Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh is all set for the ‘special’ Diwali festival of Ram temple. In what is expected to be an eco-friendly and grand Diwali, the state government said it will light 28 lakh lamps along the banks of the Saryu river.

“Environmental protection is also a major focus for this Deepotsav. Special wax lamps will be used to minimize CO2 emissions and protect the temple from soot damage,” the UP government said in its latest statement. These lamps remain lit for a longer period of time and do not affect the structure of the Ayodhya temple.

The UP government aims to set a world record with the Ayodhya Diwali celebrations, the press release said.