Artists from 16 Uttar Pradesh districts will take part in Ayodhya’s Deepotsav celebrations, according to programme details reported on November 4. The main celebration is scheduled for November 7, with folk performances planned for both stages and the city’s streets.
Pilibhit’s Tharu traditions and Gorakhpur’s Vantangiya performances are among the featured community presentations. The state lineup also includes Domkach from Bahraich, Natwari from Sultanpur, Rai from Jhansi and Karma from Sonbhadra. Mathura’s performers will present Mayur and Bam Rasiya.
The procession will include Kabiri singing and Dhedhiya dance from Prayagraj, Pai Danda from Banda, and Mandal and Singha presentations from Sonbhadra. Visiting groups are set to add Karnataka’s Dollu Kunitha, Madhya Pradesh’s Gudum Baja and Gujarat’s Talwar Ras to the programme.
State tourism officials said the performances were intended to introduce visitors to the communities and places behind these traditions. The newly reported lineup adds cultural detail to the forthcoming festival; it does not mean the November 7 celebrations have already taken place.
Archive illustrative photograph of a clay lamp in Kozhikode, not the forthcoming Ayodhya Deepotsav. Photo: A clay lamp (diya) is glowing warmly in the dark, placed on a cloth-covered surface during a traditional festival night. Captured from Perumanna, Kozhikode. by Bigul Malayi, CC0 1.0 Universal.
