A discharge lamp lighting apparatus for lighting a discharge lamp where a voltage generated in a secondary side winding can be superimposed on an output voltage of an inverter and is impressed between electrodes, where while a periodic drive circuit generates an inverter drive signal so that frequency of the inverter becomes a start-up initial frequency, electric supply control circuit controls a power supply circuit to output no-load opening voltage, where the frequency of the inverter gradually decreases until reaching a first threshold frequency from the start-up initial frequency, where when the frequency of the inverter reaches the first threshold frequency, the periodic drive circuit generates the inverter drive signal so that the frequency of the inverter becomes stable lighting frequency, and where the electric supply control circuit controls the power supply circuit to output current which is sufficient to maintain electric discharge of the discharge lamp.