Rourkela is crafting Odisha’s Largest Diya for Ayodhya’s Ram Lalla Consecration

As Ayodhya prepares for the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla’s idol on January 22, Steel City Rourkela is eager to partake in the festivities. To mark the occasion, a colossal diya, measuring 12 feet in width and 5.5 feet in height, is being crafted by artisans in Rourkela. Smile Forever Foundation has spearheaded this initiative, aiming to make it the largest diya ever fashioned in Odisha, capable of holding 6500 litres of ghee.

This monumental diya, under construction in Bandhamunda, Rourkela, for the past month, is nearing completion within the next 2-3 days. Diya worker Babai Pal expressed excitement, stating, “We were very happy when the first order to make a diya for the Ram Temple consecration ceremony came to us. We are idol experts and have been making idols from mud and plaster of paris for a long time, so it was fairly easy for us to make Diyas.”

Neetu Pandit, another diya artisan, highlighted the significance of contributing to the celebration. He said, “We all cannot go to Ayodhya to participate in the consecration ceremony. So we try to contribute our bit by making this huge diya and lighting it at the Hanuman Vatika on January 22.”

Founder of Smile Foundation, Santosh Biswal, explained the initiative’s importance and said, “January 22 is of great significance for us. God wished the largest diya in the world should be made in Rourkela. We have completed 80 percent of the work. We will make sure the diya is seen by everybody and every house in Rourkela city.” The diya will undergo a ‘parikrama’ in the city before being presented to Lord Ram at the renowned Hanuman Vatika.

This effort echoes the spirit of unity and celebration seen in Ayodhya, where on the eve of Diwali 2023, the town set a Guinness World Record by illuminating more than 22 lakh diyas on 51 ghats during the Deepotsav programme.

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