DEEPAWALI

We all know that  Deepawali is celebrated in the month of Kartik and it symbolizes the victory over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance, and also  Deepawali originates from Sanskrit words deep( lamp) and vali( row). It means " row of light". This festival is celebrated by lighting earthen lamps but very few know why we celebrate Deepawali?

We don't celebrate Diwali just to mark the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya. Here are 11 other reasons why the festival of lights is celebrated.

Diwali or Deepawali is the festival of lights celebrated across the country. The festival of lights which is celebrated in the month of Kartik usually lasts five days, starting from Dhanteras, followed by Narak Chaturdashi (Chhoti Diwali), Lakshmi Pujan (Badi Diwali), Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj

Rama's return to Ayodhya after Ravana's defeat

According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, Lord Rama, his brother Laxmana and wife Sita returned to Ayodhya after a period of 14 years in exile after defeating demon king Ravana.

Krishna killed Narakasura

In Dwapara yuga, Lord Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, killed demon Narakasura, the evil king of Pragjyotishapura, near present-day Assam, who had held 16,000 girls in captivity. In Braj region in northern India, parts of Assam, as well as southern Tamil and Telugu communities, Narak Chaturdashi is viewed as the day on which Krishna killed Narakasura.

Pandava's return to Hastinapur

The five Pandava brothers had been tricked into losing a bet in gambling after which their Kaurava cousins banished them for 12 years. The Pandavas returned to Hastinapur on Kartik Amavasya, as per the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

Goddess Lakshmi's birth

As per another popular tradition, Diwali is celebrated as the day Goddess Lakshmi was born from Samudra Amntham, the churning of the cosmic ocean of milk by the gods and demons. On the night of Diwali, Lakshmi chose Vishnu as her husband and married him.

Vishnu rescued Lakshmi

It is believed that Lord Vishnu, in his fifth Vaman-avatar, rescued Goddess Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali. On this day, King Bali was banished to rule the netherworld on the order of Lord Vishnu.

Bandi Chhor Diwas

In Sikhism, Diwali is related to a historic event. Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, along with 52 other Hindu kings, was released from captivity by Mughal emperor Jahangir on the day of Diwali.

Mahavira Nirvana Diwas

In Jainism, the festival of Diwali is celebrated to observe the anniversary of Nirvana of Mahavira's soul, the twenty-fourth and last Jain Tirthankara of present cosmic age. Mahavira attained moksha (liberation) on Chaturdashi of Kartik month.

Maharshi Dayananda attained Nirvana

On the new moon day of Kartik, Maharshi Dayananda, founder of Arya Samaj, attained Nirvana.

Maharaja Vikramaditya's coronation

Legendary Hindu king Vikramaditya was crowned on Diwali. He is characterised as an ideal king known for his generosity, courage and patronage of scholars.

Kali Puja

As per the Kalikula sect of Shaktism, the day of incarnation of Kamalatmika, the last manifestation of goddess Mahakali, is celebrated as Kamalatmika Jayanti. It falls on the day of Deepawali. Kali Puja is celebrated in regions of Bengal, Mithila, Odisha, Assam, Sylhet, Chittagong and the town of Titwala in Maharashtra.

End of harvest season

According to another popular belief, Diwali may have originated as a harvest festival, marking the last harvest of the year before winter.

Diwali as New Year

In western states such as Gujarat and some northern Hindu communities of India, the festival of Diwali signifies the start of a new year.