A group of 11 young men took the help of a local potter in Gorakhpur to make a huge earthen lamp weighing at least 150 kilograms.
The ‘diya’ filled with 101 litres of oil was said to be a tribute to martyrs who had lost their lives fighting for the country.
The diya was lit at Surajkund Dham on Tuesday and will remain alight for a week.
Residents of Mohanlalpur have promised to provide oil to keep the massive diya alight.
Amar Deep Gupta, a member of the Shri Laxmi Pooja Navyuvak and the Surajkund Dham Samiti, said that it had taken them more than 45 days to get the earthen lamp made and cost them at least '8,000. The diya has a diametre of 131 centimetres and is 48 centimetres high.
Shibban Prajapati who crafted the diya said, “This has been a very difficult but satisfying task since I could not use the potter’s wheel for the diya of this size. I had to craft it by hand and make sure that it was perfectly round.”
The members of both the committees have now contacted the Limca book of records to get the event registered.
