Devotees light oil lamps on the banks of the Sarayu River in Ayodhya, India
© Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Phot
A festival of lights in India. A festival of lights in India
In observance of the Hindu holiday called Diwali, people gathered on the banks of the Sarayu River in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya in autumn of 2018 to light candles and oil lamps called 'diyas.' Attendees that night set a Guinness World Record by keeping 300,000 diyas lit for five minutes. The lights are symbolic of the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness—central themes of Diwali. Ayodhya is a significant location in the Hindu faith, long thought to be the birthplace of Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu, who represents virtue. And as Diwali, a four- or five-day celebration reaches its peak today (the third day), the Hindus of Ayodhya will be back to light up the riverbank. Will they set another record?
Related Images
German ski jumper Markus Eisenbichler competing in the Four Hills Tournament, Innsbruck, Austria, on January 3, 2018
Jim Henson, along with Ernie and Bert, rehearses for an episode of 'Sesame Street' in 1970 in New York City
Illuminated icicles in Chichibu, Japan
Crown Fountain by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa, Millennium Park, Chicago
'Field of Light at Sensorio,' by Bruce Munro, Paso Robles, California
Jemaa el-Fnaa Square in Marrakesh, Morocco
The front line of demonstrators during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963
At the top of Mount Fuji in Japan
Bing Today Images
