Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh marked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday with a large-scale lamp-lighting event on the banks of the Shipra river, where 3.327 million earthen lamps were lit simultaneously, officials said. The celebration was held as part of special programmes titled ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ and ‘Aashirwad Deepam’ across the state.
According to the event details, a siren sounded at 7 pm, after which volunteers and members of the public began lighting the lamps together. Within the next three minutes, the riverfront was illuminated along a long stretch.
The lamps were lit at multiple ghats including Ram Ghat, Datta Akhara, Kedareshwar Ghat, Sunhari Ghat, Bhooki Mata Ghat and the Mahakal Mahalok area, followed by a Maha Aarti on the Shipra.
At the Kartik Mela ground, volunteers also arranged burning lamps to create a large portrait of the Prime Minister. The main programme at Ram Ghat was inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav along with BJP leaders and other dignitaries.
Statewide, people participated at 845 key locations, lighting a total of 35.5 million lamps in a single day. The Ujjain event was reported to have surpassed Ayodhya’s earlier record for the highest number of lamps lit at one location.
