Lucknow :  The Deepotsava event in Ayodhya to mark Diwali will go virtual this year. Devotees can mark their attendance virtually at the “Ram Darbaar” – a portal made where virtual lamps can be lit. The portal will have a portrait of Shri Ramlalla Virajman before which the virtual lamps will be lit.

According to the UP government, the virtual Deepotsava “will be no less real than the actual one” and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also take part in it virtually.

“After a long and agonising wait of some 492 years, now when the dream of a grand Ram temple is being fulfilled, the state government is ensuring that no one is deprived of the joy of lighting up a lamp of faith in the court of Ramlalla. At the special instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the government is getting a portal made, where virtual lamps can be lit,” read a statement issued by the state government.

The portal will have a facility to pick up the lampstand of one’s choice — steel, brass or any other material. “The option of using ghee or oil will also be available for devotees. Not only this, the person lighting the lamp will be based on whether the devotee is a man or a woman. After the lamps are lit, based on the details of the devotees, a thank you digital letter carrying the picture of Shri Ramlalla, from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also be issued,” the government said, adding the portal will be up before the main event on November 13.

Meanwhile, Adityanath issued instructions to officials to make Ayodhya Deepotsava grander this time, and at the same time, there should be no breach of Covid-19 protocol. Directives have been issued to hold different events daily while adhering to Covid-19 protocols, officials said.

The CM also said that on Deepotsava, the whole temple town of Ayodhya will be lit up. The government is aiming to light up around 5.5 lakh lamps this year. The CM will also perform aarti at the Ram Janma Bhoomi premises. He is also scheduled to view tableaus depicting various scenes of the Ramayan.