Nearly 21 lakh earthen lamps will be lit on February 18 in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain city as part of the ‘Shiv Jyoti Arpanam-2023’ programme to mark the festival of Mahashivratri, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said.
On Mahashivratri last year, 11,71,078 earthen lamps were lit in Ujjain.
Now, an attempt will be made to set a Guinness world record by lighting 21 lakh lamps, government officials said. After a meeting held on Saturday to review preparations for the mega event, CM Chouhan in a statement said the festival of Mahashivaratri will be celebrated in Ujjain like Diwali on February 18.
“On Mahashivratri, residents of Ujjain will express their dedication to Lord Mahakal by lighting 21 lakh lamps. This unprecedented event will be possible only with the participation of the society and the government,” Chouhan stated.
Officials informed in the meeting that under the Shiv Jyoti Arpanam programme in Ujjain, earthen lamps will be lit in the city’s temples, commercial places, homes, besides the banks of the Kshipra River and important intersections and spots.
The prominent places in Ujjain will be lit with electrical decorations and rangoli (colourful patterns), the officials said.
After the lighting of 11,71,078 diyas in Ujjain on Mahashivratri last year, 15.76 lakh lamps were lit in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya city on Diwali in 2022 to set a world record, they said.
The entire programme in Ujjain on Mahashivratri this time will be based on the ”zero waste” principle, the officials said. More than 20,000 volunteers will participate in this programme, they added.
