These places in India have a unique Diwali celebration

Diwali is one of the much-awaited Indian festivals and is celebrated on a huge scale in the country. Diwali or Deepavali is also known as the Festival of Lights where people celebrate by illuminating their houses and lighting earthen diyas.

But every city has its own unique way of celebrating Diwali. From Goa to Varanasi and Lucknow to Delhi, every city has got its own style!

Let’s check out such places:

Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, celebrates Diwali from the bottom of their hearts. As per Hindu text books, Diwali was celebrated first on the day when Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Laxman after 14 years of exile. People come together to light lamps on the banks of the Sarayu River. Diwali here is celebrated for four days!

Amritsari Diwali is unique and grand in many ways! The city first celebrated the festival of light when the Sixth Sikh guru, Guru Hargobind Singh returned from the prison in 1619. He was put behind the bars for his religious beliefs along with several political leaders. Diwali is special here because the foundation stone of the Golden Temple was laid in the year 1577.

One of the ancient Hindu cities in India, the place celebrates Diwali like no other. The Ganga ghats here are illuminated with a line of earthen diyas, which creates a magical view. If you visit Varanasi during Diwali, you will have a spiritual experience. Two weeks later, Varanasi celebrates Dev Deepavali on a full moon night, which is a bigger celebration.

Udaipur is another place to celebrate Diwali. People here visit the famous Mahalaxmi Temple to pay respects to the Goddess of Wealth. In 2012, the Rajasthan Government started celebrating Diwali in a royal style featuring different performances.

Goa has the most unique way of celebrating Diwali as on this day, Demon Narakasura was killed by Lord Krishna. Every year, the state celebrates Diwali by organising a competition and effigies of the demon are burnt down on Narakasura Chaturdashi, which is a day before the Diwali.

While the world celebrates Diwali by praying to Goddess Laxmi, Kolkata celebrates by worshipping Goddess Kali. On this day, Kali temples in Kolkata remain crowded with devotees. Kalighat, Belur Math and Dakshineswar are some of the best places to be at.

The Gujarati city also celebrates Diwali for five days which starts from Dhanteras, the day when people buy gold. Then comes Naraka Chaturdashi where the demon Naraksura was killed by Krishna. Then comes Diwali, then comes Balipadyami and the last day is Vikramsamvat.