DIWALI INDIA BEST FESTIVAL EVER
Hi guys , Welcome to our articles , here I am going to talk about the festival which is most valuable and most interesting festival n India.
Diwali is one of the biggest religious festivals in India. Hindus celebrate by bursting firecrackers, lighting diyas or lamps, cleaning and decorating their homes, buying new clothes, and by making hand-painted rangoli designs in their living rooms and courtyards. Prayers are offered to Goddess Lakshmi for prosperity. Diwali signifies the victory of good over evil. The festival marks the return of Lord Rama after defeating the demon King Ravana. Bonfires are lit to burn away evil spirits.
The story behind the dewali.
It is not easy to say now what was really the reason behind its origin. Different people believe different events to be the cause behind this festival. Here are some mythical and historical reasons that are possibly behind the Diwali (Deepavali) celebrations.
RAMA, LAKSHMANA, SITA AND HANUMAN
The most well known story behind Diwali is in the Ramayana, the great Hindu epic. According to Ramayana, Rama, the prince of Ayodhya was ordered by his father, King Dasharatha, to go away from his country and come back after living in the forest for 14 years. So Rama went into exile with his devoted wife Sita and faithful brother, Lakshmana. When Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, abducted Sita and took her away to his island kingdom of Lanka, Rama fought against and killed Ravana. He rescued Sita and returned to Ayodhya after 14 years. The people of Ayodhya were very happy to hear of their beloved prince’s homecoming. To celebrate Rama’s return to Ayodhya, they lit up their houses with earthen lamps (diyas), burst crackers and decorated the entire city in the grandest manner.
This is believed to have started the tradition of Diwali. Year after year this homecoming of Lord Rama is commemorated on Diwali with lights, fireworks, the bursting of crackers and merriment. The festival gets its name Deepavali, or Diwali, from the rows (avali) of lamps (deepa) that the people of Ayodhya lit to welcome their king.
SRI KRISHNA AND ARJUN
Another well-known story related to Diwali history is narrated in the other Hindu epic, Mahabharata. Mahabharata reveals to us how the five royal brothers, the Pandavas, suffered a defeat at the hands of their brothers, the Kauravas, in a game of dice (gambling). As a rule imposed on them, the Pandavas had to serve a term of 13 years in exile. When the period was over, they returned to their birthplace Hastinapura on “Kartik Amavashya” (the new moon day of the Kartik month). The five Pandava brothers, their mother and their wife Draupadi were honest, kind, gentle and caring in their ways and were loved by all their subjects. To celebrate the joyous occasion of their return to Hastinapura and to welcome back the Pandavas, the common people illuminated their state by lighting bright earthen lamps everywhere. The tradition is believed to have been kept alive through the festival of Diwali, which many believe, is held in remembrance of the Pandava brothers’ homecoming. It is also believed that on this very Diwali day, the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi rose up from the ocean.
The Hindu scriptures tell us that long long ago both Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons) were mortal. They had to die sometime or other, like us. But they wanted to live forever. So they churned the ocean to seek Amrita, the nectar of immortality (an event mentioned in the Hindu scriptures as “Samudra-manthan”), during which many divine objects came up. Prime among these was Goddess Lakshmi, the daughter of the king of the milky ocean, who arose on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month. That very night, Lord Vishnu married her. Brilliant lamps were illuminated and placed in rows to mark this holy occasion. This event is supposed to have given rise to an annual celebration at the same time each year. Even today, Hindus celebrate the birth of the Goddess Lakshmi and her marriage to Lord Vishnu on Diwali and seek her blessings for the coming year.
The origin of Diwali also refers to the stories narrated in the Hindu Puranas, the primary source of Hindu religious texts. According to the Bhagavata Purana (the most sacred Hindu text), it was on a Kartik day that Lord Vishnu took on the form of a dwarf (Vaman-avtaara) and defeated King Bali. Bali, or rather King Mahabali, was a powerful demon king who ruled the Earth. Once Bali got a boon from Lord Brahma that made him unconquerable. Even gods failed to defeat him in battles. Although a wise and good king otherwise, Mahabali was cruel to the Devas (gods). Finding no way to defeat Bali, the Devas went to Lord Vishnu and insisted he find a way to stop Bali. Lord Vishnu made a plan. He disguised himself as a short Brahmin and approached Bali for some charity. A large-hearted king, Mahabali tried to help the Brahmin. But the whole thing was a trick by Lord Vishnu and ultimately the king had to give up all his kingship and wealth. Diwali celebrates this defeating of Mahabali by Lord Vishnu.
The Bhagavata Purana also tells us about Narakasura, an evil demon king who somehow got great powers and conquered both the heavens and Earth. Narakasura was very cruel and was a terrible ruler. It is believed that Lord Vishnu killed Narakasura on the day before Diwali and rescued many women whom the demon had locked in his palace. The people of heaven and Earth were greatly relieved to be freed from the hands of the terrible Narakasura. They celebrated the occasion with much grandeur, a tradition that is believed to be alive through the annual observance of Diwali.
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