India, the land of rich cultural heritage, has one or the other festival for
every month. It is the spiritual and religious richness in India that each
festival is related to some or other deity. One of such festival is the
'festival of lights' - Deepawali. It is the glorious occasion that is not
restricted to one day, but extended to a five-day celebration. All through these
five days, people are in a festive mood. Adding to the festivity is the colorful
display of lights. Like every other Hindu festival, stories from Mythology are
associated with Diwali too. Given below is information on the celebrations of
Diwali.
Stories & Legends of Deepavali
Return of Shri Ram To Ayodhyaa
The most famous legend behind the celebrations of Diwali is about the prince of
Ayodhya Nagri - Lord Shri Ram. The king of Lanka, Ravana, kidnapped Ram's wife -
Sita from the jungle, where they were staying as per the instructions of King
Dashratha, father of Lord Ram. In order to freed Sita from Ravana's custody, Ram
attacked him. This was followed by a war, in which, Ram defeated Ravan and
released Sita from his custody. On the arrival of Lord Ram along with his wife
Sita, people of Ayodhya decorated their homes as well as the city of Ayodhyaa by
lighting tiny diyas all over, in order to welcome their beloved prince Shri Ram
and Devi Sita.
Incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi
On the auspicious new moon day, which is 'Amavasyaa' of the Hindi month of
Kartik, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity - Lakshmi was incarnated. She
appeared during the churning of the ocean, which is known as 'Samudra Manthan',
by the demons on one side and 'Devataas' (Gods) on the other side. Therefore,
the worship of Goddess Lakshmi, the Lakshmi Pujan, on the day of Diwali, became
a tradition.
Lord Krishna Destroyed Demon Narakasur
One famous story behind the celebrations of Diwali is about the demon king
Narakasur, who was ruler of Pragjyotishpur, a province to the South of Nepal.
After acquiring victory over Lord Indra during a war, Narakasur snatched away
the magnificent earrings of Mother Goddess Aditi, who was not only the ruler of
Suraloka, but also a relative of Lord Krishna's wife - Satyabhama. Narakasur
also imprisoned sixteen thousand daughters of Gods and saints in his harem. With
the support of Lord Krishna, Satyabhama defeated Narakasur, released all the
women from his harem and restored the magnificent earrings of Mother Goddess
Aditi.
The Return of The Pandavas
The great Hindu epic 'Mahabharata' has another interesting story related to the
'Kartik Amavasyaa'. According to the story, 'the Pandavas', the five brothers
Yudhishthhira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahdeva, were sentenced to thirteen
years exile as a result of their defeat against 'the Kauravas' - Duryodhana and
his ninety nine brothers, at the game of dice. Therefore, the Pandavas spent
thirteen years in the jungles and returned to their kingdom on the day of 'Kartik
Amavasyaa'. On their return, the people of their kingdom welcomed the Pandavas
by celebrating the event by lighting the earthen lamps all over in their city.
Coronation of King Vikramaditya
Another legend or story about Diwali celebrations relates to one of the greatest
Hindu King - Vikramaditya. It was the day when he was coroneted and the people
celebrated this event by lighting tiny earthen 'diyas'.
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