The now-viral post contains two images produced by ICEYE’s SAR satellite constellation. The first pic shows a long-shot view of Ayodhya along the Sarayu River, with urban structures and roads visible. The second focuses more closely on the Ram Mandir complex and its surrounding area.
“See how Ram Mandir in Ayodhya looks from orbit. ICEYE operates one of the largest commercial SAR constellations and provides Earth observation data for various applications, including monitoring and intelligence. Notably, the SAR technology allows imaging day or night and through cloud cover by measuring radar reflections rather than relying on visible light.
The image was captured with the ICEYE SAR satellite constellation on October 30, 2026.
“Happy Diwali to our Indian colleagues, and to all our Indian partners and customers celebrating the festival of lights this Sunday,” ICEYE captioned the pics. Both images are labelled with 25 cm resolution under the “Dwell Precise” mode.
The satellite views highlight the complex’s layout amid the surrounding city infrastructure, including bridges and built-up areas. Diwali is being celebrated on November 8 this year, with festivities in full swing across the country. The temple, inaugurated in January 2024 after a long legal tussle, stands as a major Hindu religious site in Ayodhya. On Saturday (Nov 7), Ayodhya lit up with thousands of earthen lamps as the city celebrated the 10th edition of Deepotsav, with more than 30 lakh diyas illuminating 56 ghats along the banks of the Saryu River.
