A discharge lamp lighting apparatus for lighting a discharge lamp having two electrodes includes a first drive circuit, a second drive circuit, and a control circuit. The first drive circuit is connectable to one of the two electrodes to supply a first alternating current to the discharge lamp. The first alternating current has a frequency. The second drive circuit is connectable to the other of the two electrodes to supply a second alternating current to the discharge lamp. The second alternating current has the same frequency as the first alternating current. The control circuit generates first and second drive pulses to drive the first and second drive circuits, respectively. The control circuit has a current detecting circuit and a phase difference adjuster. The current detecting circuit detects the first and second alternating currents separately. The phase difference adjuster adjusts a phase difference between the first and second drive pulses so that an amount of the first alternating current is identical to an amount of the second alternating current.