Ayodhya traders are reporting strong sales as Deepotsav 2026 draws crowds to the temple town, with small sellers saying their daily earnings have risen several times over. The 10th edition of Deepotsav began on 7 November, and the ghats and lanes around the Ram temple have filled with visitors buying lamps, garlands, photos and prasad. For the traders who set up stalls for the festival, the week is the biggest trading period of the year. Many of them earn in a day what they would normally make in a week.
The Ayodhya traders selling near the ghats include Jitendra, a former e-rickshaw driver who now sells magnetic photos of the temple and the riverfront. He says he earns Rs 600 to Rs 700 a day during the festival, selling photos to visitors who want a keepsake of their trip. Lala Mahto, who has come from Bihar, sells garlands and says he makes Rs 700 to Rs 800 a day. Poojan, from Sitamarhi, also sells garlands and flowers to the crowds. A Sita locket sells for Rs 100, and a Sita Haar for Rs 80.
For Ayodhya traders, the festival week is the biggest trading period of the year, and the earnings show how much the town has changed since the temple opened. Shopkeepers who once earned Rs 400 to Rs 500 a day now report Rs 2,500 a day during the festival period. The rise reflects the flow of visitors, which has grown from 6 million in 2020 to 164 million in 2024, according to Liases Foras. The research firm expects about 300 million visitors in 2025. The town collected about Rs 400 crore in GST, a sign of how much money now moves through its shops and stalls.
Ayodhya traders and the Deepotsav crowds
Ayodhya traders say the crowds have changed the town, and the change lasts through the year. The Master Plan 2031 for Ayodhya carries an investment of Rs 85,000 crore, and about 1.2 lakh jobs have been created since 2024. Hotels, restaurants, transport and shops have all grown, and the traders say the festival is the peak of a year-round rise in visitors. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said every diya lit during Deepotsav lights a potter’s livelihood, a line the traders repeat when they talk about the festival.
The Ayodhya traders who sell photos, garlands and prasad are part of a much larger economy that has grown around the temple. Potters make the diyas, flower sellers supply the garlands, and printers make the photos and posters. The traders say the festival gives work to people who have no other income, and that the earnings from the week carry many families through the slower months. The stalls along the ghats are run by families, and many of the sellers have come from other districts and states for the festival.
Ayodhya traders look beyond the festival
Ayodhya traders also benefit from the steady flow of visitors through the year, beyond Deepotsav. The temple draws pilgrims every day, and the town has added hotels, eateries and shops to serve them. The traders say the festival is the best week of the year, but the trade does not stop when the diyas go out. The Master Plan aims to keep the growth going, with new roads, hotels and facilities planned for the town. The traders hope the investment will bring more visitors and more sales through the year.
The Ayodhya traders who have set up stalls for Deepotsav will pack up when the festival ends, but many will return next year. Jitendra says he plans to keep selling photos through the winter, when the crowds thin but do not stop. Lala Mahto says he will go back to Bihar after the festival and return for the next one. The traders say the festival has given them a livelihood they did not have before, and that the town has changed for the better since the temple opened.
For Ayodhya traders, the 10th Deepotsav is a reminder of how far the town has come in a few years. The visitors who once numbered in the millions now number in the hundreds of millions, and the shops and stalls have grown with them. The festival week brings the biggest earnings of the year, and the traders say the trade will keep growing as the town develops. The diyas will go out, but the stalls will stay, and the traders will be there when the next crowd arrives.