The largest lamp-lighting in India, on the Saryu on the eve of Diwali. A private two-night journey that has you on the ghat steps by mid-afternoon, Ram Mandir on the quiet day before, and a car and guide of your own throughout.
The tenth Deepotsav. The figures below are as reported in October 2026; the Uttar Pradesh government publishes the final programme close to the date, and we confirm it before taking a booking.
Ayodhya Deepotsav 2026 at a glance
What
2026
Worth knowing
The main lighting
Evening of Saturday 7 November 2026 (Chhoti Diwali)
The state programme runs across several days around it; published dates for the package and side events range from 5 to 9 November.
Where
Ram Ki Paidi and the Saryu ghats, Ayodhya
About two kilometres of riverfront, with the temples of Ayodhya Dham lit as well.
Scale
Reported at 30–33 lakh lamps
The 2025 edition lit 26,17,215 diyas across 56 ghats. Reported 2026 figures differ by source, so we quote a range.
Diwali itself
Sunday 8 November 2026
Ayodhya on Diwali morning is quieter than on Deepotsav day; it is when we schedule Ram Mandir if it was not done on day one.
Getting there
Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, about 12 km
Ayodhya Dham Junction is 2–3 km from the ghats; Lucknow is about 135 km by road.
Deepotsav 2027
Expected around 28 October 2027
The eve of Diwali, which falls on 29 October 2027. Provisional until the state programme is published.
The Journey
Ayodhya Deepotsav, Privately
Priced for your party: pick how many of you are travelling and the per-person price and total change. Travelling alone or as two, a seat on our scheduled departure is the lower-cost way in.
The main event
Private or by the seat2 nights / 3 days
Ayodhya Deepotsav
Private tourHotel pick-upHotel & breakfastEntry fees included
Arrive the day before, sleep inside the cordon, and take a position on the ghat steps in the early afternoon rather than the evening. That one decision is the difference between seeing Deepotsav and hearing it from three hundred metres back.
How many travelling
USD 491₹47,150EUR 433GBP 371USD 273₹26,200EUR 241GBP 206USD 248₹23,850EUR 219GBP 188USD 229₹22,000EUR 202GBP 173USD 221₹21,250EUR 195GBP 167USD 213₹20,450EUR 188GBP 161USD 202₹19,400EUR 178GBP 153USD 194₹18,600EUR 171GBP 146per person, privateUSD 491₹47,150EUR 433GBP 371 total for 1 traveller · SedanUSD 545₹52,400EUR 481GBP 413 total for 2 travellers · SedanUSD 745₹71,550EUR 657GBP 563 total for 3 travellers · SedanUSD 916₹88,000EUR 808GBP 693 total for 4 travellers · SUVUSD 1,106₹1,06,250EUR 976GBP 837 total for 5 travellers · SUVUSD 1,277₹1,22,700EUR 1,127GBP 966 total for 6 travellers · Tempo travellerUSD 1,616₹1,55,200EUR 1,426GBP 1,222 total for 8 travellers · Tempo travellerUSD 2,130₹2,04,600EUR 1,879GBP 1,611 total for 11 travellers · Tempo traveller
Travelling as one or two? One seat on a scheduled departure is USD 161₹15,500EUR 142GBP 122 per seat, twin sharing.
Also: three USD 248₹23,850EUR 219GBP 188 each · four USD 229₹22,000EUR 202GBP 173 · six USD 213₹20,450EUR 188GBP 161 · twelve USD 194₹18,600EUR 171GBP 146
On the journeyRam Janmabhoomi on the quiet morning · Hanuman Garhi · Kanak Bhawan · the Shobha Yatra tableaux from Saket College to Ram Katha Park · a held position at Ram Ki Paidi from mid-afternoon · the Saryu maha aarti · the mass lighting · the laser and drone shows
The same journey and prices appear on our Diwali & Kali Puja page, alongside Varanasi, Amritsar, Jaipur, Mathura and Kolkata for the same week.
Day by Day
How the Two Nights Run
Built backwards from one fact: the ghat steps are full by about half past four, and road access to the centre is restricted from mid-morning on the day.
Ayodhya Deepotsav itinerary, day by day
Day
What happens
Why it is timed that way
Day 1 · Fri 6 Nov
Met at the airport or station. Ram Janmabhoomi, Hanuman Garhi and Kanak Bhawan while the town is still moving. An early evening on the Saryu.
On Deepotsav day the darshan queue is reported at five to seven hours; the day before is the sensible hour.
Day 2 · Sat 7 Nov
A slow morning. The Shobha Yatra tableaux from Saket College to Ram Katha Park. Into position at Ram Ki Paidi from mid-afternoon with your guide. The Saryu maha aarti, the mass lighting, then the laser and drone shows.
Being in place early is the whole difference between seeing Deepotsav and hearing it from the embankment.
Day 3 · Sun 8 Nov
Diwali morning. Ram Mandir at 07:00 if it was not done on day one. Out to the airport or station, or on to Varanasi for Diwali on the ghats.
Diwali morning in Ayodhya is quieter than the day before, and the roads are open again.
The order flexes with your arrival time and the published programme. Hotel and breakfast, your own vehicle and driver, guiding and entry fees are included; flights and trains are not, and we tell you which ones to book.
The Night, Operationally
What Decides Whether You See It
Figures marked as reported come from operators on the ground and from last year’s programme, not from us.
Ayodhya Deepotsav practicalities
What
The position
What it means for you
Road access to the city centre
Restricted from about 10:00 on the main day
Arriving by road after that reportedly means two to three hours stationary outside the police cordon.
When the ghat steps fill
Full by about 16:30
Arriving at 18:00 leaves you two to three hundred metres back, on the embankment rather than the steps.
Ram Mandir darshan
Sugam Darshan, ₹250, on the Trust’s own portal
There is no official VIP pass. Anyone selling a ‘VIP connection’ outside the temple is not authorised.
Darshan on the main day
A 5–7 hour queue
We put Ram Mandir on the quiet day before, or on Diwali morning at 07:00, not on Deepotsav day.
Trains
Ayodhya Dham Junction
Reportedly books out eight to ten weeks ahead for the Deepotsav weekend.
Hotels near Ram Ki Paidi
Reported to sell out by September
Rooms normally ₹1,500–2,000 are reported at ₹6,000–12,000 over these dates.
Before You Choose
Our Journey and the State Package
Uttar Pradesh Tourism runs its own two-night Deepotsav package, and for many travellers it is a sensible choice. Here is the honest difference, so you can decide which suits you.
Comparison of a private Walk Another Mile journey and the UPSTDC Deepotsav package
UPSTDC “Deepotsav Ayodhya”, as reported
Walk Another Mile, private
Price
₹16,999 per person, 6–8 November
USD 273₹26,200EUR 241GBP 206 each for two; USD 194₹18,600EUR 171GBP 146 each for eleven or more; a single seat from USD 161₹15,500EUR 142GBP 122
Sites
Ram Janmabhoomi, Hanumangarhi, Kanak Bhawan, Dashrath Mahal, Nageshwarnath; the lighting, the drone show and the Saryu aarti
Ram Janmabhoomi, Hanuman Garhi, Kanak Bhawan, the Shobha Yatra, the aarti, the lighting, the laser and drone shows
Vehicle and guide
Not detailed in the published reports
Your own vehicle and driver for the trip, and our guide with you on Deepotsav day
The evening
Not detailed in the published reports
In position at Ram Ki Paidi from mid-afternoon, with timing planned around the cordon
Who it suits
Travellers happy in a group at a lower price
Families, older travellers and photographers who want the timing, the car and the guide to be theirs
Source for the state package: reports of 28 September 2026. Check the current details with UP Tourism before comparing.
The Kartik Season
Make It a Longer Trip
Deepotsav opens a run of festivals that most people only see one of. These are the combinations guests ask us for.
Diwali · 8 November 2026
On to Varanasi for Diwali
About four hours by road. The ghats lit at first light on Chhoti Diwali and the Dashashwamedh aarti on Diwali evening.
Planning for Deepotsav 2027, expected around 28 October? Join the early list on WhatsApp and we will send the confirmed date the day the state publishes it.
What Guests Say
Reviewed Where We Cannot Edit It
Our reviews sit on our Google profile, under the names of the people who wrote them.
5.0★★★★★from 6 reviews on Google
We began taking guests in 2019 and most of our work has come by word of mouth. Read what people wrote, in their own words, on our Google profile.
The main lamp-lighting is on the evening of Saturday 7 November 2026, the eve of Diwali (8 November). Published dates for the wider programme and packages range from 5 to 9 November, and the Uttar Pradesh government confirms the final schedule close to the date. We confirm it before taking a booking and tell you if anything moves.
Rooms are the constraint two weeks out, not the car or the guide. Message us with your party size and we will tell you the same day what we can still hold, or put you on our scheduled seats.
In position by mid-afternoon. The ghat steps are reported to be full by about 16:30, and road access to the centre is restricted from mid-morning on the day, which is why the journey has you sleeping in Ayodhya the night before.
Yes, but not on Deepotsav day, when the queue is reported at five to seven hours. We schedule it on the day before or at 07:00 on Diwali morning. Sugam Darshan is booked on the Trust's own portal at ₹250; there is no official VIP pass.
Fly into Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, about 12 km from the ghats, or take the train to Ayodhya Dham Junction. Lucknow is about 135 km by road. Our price covers the vehicle from your arrival; flights and trains are booked by you, and we tell you which ones work.
Two nights' hotel and breakfast, your own vehicle and driver, guiding and entry fees, and a held position at Ram Ki Paidi on the evening. Flights, trains, lunches and dinners are not included.
Yes. Varanasi is about four hours by road, in time for Diwali on 8 November, and Dev Deepawali follows on 24 November 2026. Tell us which and we will price the combination.
Expected around 28 October 2027, the eve of Diwali on 29 October 2027. That is provisional until the state programme is published; join the early list and we will send the confirmed date.
Tell us how many of you, and we will tell you what we can hold
Your dates and party size. We reply within 24 hours, the same day in Deepotsav week, with the exact private price, the seat price beside it, and what is still available.
