As Ayodhya was celebrating Deepotsav on Wednesday by lighting 28 lakh diyas, Acharya Satyendra Maharaj, Chief Priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, has cleared the confusion on the date of Badi Diwali.
Choti Diwali is on October 30 and Badi Diwali should be celebrated on October 31 in the court of Ram Leela, Maharaj told ANI.
"On October 30, Choti Diwali will be celebrated and the Puja should be held in the evening and Badi Diwali will be celebrated on October 31. In the court of Lord Ram Leela. Earlier, Choti Diwali, Diwali and Annakoot were celebrated. However, the traditions have changed."
According to an India Today TV report, Vishva Hindu Parishad spokesperson Sharad Sharma said that the festival of Diwali this year coincides with Amavasya -- the new moon phase, which begins that afternoon. The festivities will commence on the night of October 31, making an immensely important time for spiritual reflection as well as celebration.
So this year, the festival of Diwali will be celebrated on October 31.
Earlier, there were doubts about the exact date of the Diwali festival—whether it is on October 31 or November 1.
On October 30, Deepotsav will be celebrated in Ayodhya. This year, it coincides with Hanuman Jayanti, an occasion to honour and revere the birth of Lord Hanuman.
Thousands of diyas (earthen lamps) were lit on the bank of Saryu River in Ayodhya in a world record-setting attempt to mark the eighth 'Deepotsav' on Wednesday.
The entire town was decked up for the event even as music dedicated to Lord Ram beamed from all corners reverberating in the air.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led the celebrations as he, along with his cabinet members and others, lit the first few lamps to mark the launch of the Deepostav -- the first since the consecration of Ram Lalla temple on January 22 this year.
Ayodhya was all about festivities on Wednesday as a procession with vibrant tableaux bearing characters from Ramayan made its way through the temple town as part of the eighth Deepotsav celebration.
Eighteen tableaux depicting episodes from Ramcharitmanas were showcased during the procession which moved stately from Saket Mahavidyalaya to Ram Katha Park to the sound of firecrackers and bursts of gulal (coloured powder).
Special displays illustrating key episodes in Lord Ram's life -- his education and marriage to Sita, the forest exile, Bharat Milaap, Shabri's devotion, Ashok Vatika, Hanuman's journey to Lanka, Laxman's injury from Shakti arrow, Ravana's defeat, and his grand return to Ayodhya -- were also mounted during the procession.
