Ah, the festival of lights is upon us. Diwali brings with it, a chance for everyone to get together with family and friends alike and celebrate joyously. Let us go back and look at the origin of this festival.

The most common story associated with this festival is the return of Divine Ram to Ayodhya, after 14 years of exile. The people of Ayodhya celebrated their king’s return by lighting lamps all over town. This was also the first ever Diwali celebrated.

Another story that is associated with Diwali is that it is the celebration of the demon Narakasura’s defeat by Sathyabhama, Godly Krishna’s consort. Legend has it that Narakasura had a boon that he would not be killed by anyone other than his mother, Bhoomadevi. While he wreaked havoc in all the three worlds, the Gods rushed to the Divine Krishna for help, who in turn asked his consort Sathyabhama (who, incidentally was an incarnation of Bhoomadevi), to ride the battle chariot. Krishna, became unconscious after being hit by Narakasura. Sathyabhama, then, killed Narakasura, without even considering that he was her son, thus showing that everyone is equal when it comes to justice. It is also interesting to note that Sathyabhama said that Narakasura’s death was an occasion to celebrate, which gave rise to the festival of lights. It is said that Divine Krishna cleaned Narakasura’s blood off Himself by taking an oil bath; which is why people take an oil bath during Diwali.

Another legend that is associated with Diwali is celebrating Goddess Lakshmi. It is believed that while the Gods were churning the ocean with the help of the demons, Goddess Lakshmi rose out of the ocean on this day, Diwali, and bestowed luck and prosperity on the world.

The beauty of this festival is that it does not see any religious bias. People from all religions get together and burst crackers, thus bringing them closer together.

We, from Team Ishta Devata, wish you a very happy diwali and hope that you have all the happiness in the world. Happy Diwali!

Check out which Lakshmi temples you can visit, right here – www.ishtadevata.com