NEW DELHI, Nov 8: Dev Diwali was celebrated in Varanasi on Monday, when,
it is believed by the Hindus that all the Gods visit the holy city. Thousands
of devotees took holy dip in the Ganga and floated lakhs of diyas (earthen lamps)
along the ghats in the evening. Tourists also thronged the ghats to witness
the colourful sights.
According to Hindu mythology, Dev Diwali (Diwali of Gods) or Dev Deepavali
is the celebration of the victory of Hindu God Lord Shiva over Tripurasura demon.
All the Gods descended on Kashi and lit lamps along the Ganga to celebrate the
day on Kartik Purnima and thank Lord Shiva for killing Tripurasura who tormented
all people and the Gods alike. Dev Diwali is also called Tripurotsav or Tripurari
Purnima.
While Diwali is celebrated all over India to celebrate the arrival of Lord
Ram to the kingdom of Ayodhya after killing demon king Ravana, Dev Diwali is
celebrated in Varanasi to commemorate Lord Shiva's victory over Tripurasura.
It is spread over five days from Prabodhini Ekadashi (11th lunar day of Kartika),
culminating on Kartik Poornima. As per English calendar the day falls in late
October or early November. By Hindu almanac, it is always on the 15th day of
Kartik month which will be Purnima (full moon). Besides, Dev Diwali comes 15
days after Diwali. However, this year, Dev Diwali was celebrated on November
7, Monday, while Purnima (full moon) is on November 8, Tuesday. That is, Dev
Diwali falls across November 7 and 8 this year.
The word 'Diwali' is a corrupted version of 'Deepavali' where 'Deep' means
light and 'avali' means rows, meaning festival of lights.
The day is also celebrated by Jains as Festival of Lights. Kartik Purnima also
marks the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev which is celebrated as Gurupurab or Prakash
Utsav or Guru Nanak Jayanti by the Sikhs.
