Make a difference this Children’s Day!!
When lots of gold coin candies made us the richest man or grabbing the swing during lunch break was the only prime issue, these memories are the best and worst times of our living. The fun filled beautiful moments made our toddler years perfect and now we are just left with fading memories imprinted on the sand of time. To relive those special moments every year, we celebrate the fun filled Children’s Day every year on 14th November.
Apart from the usual grand party celebration at home or the cultural celebration and interesting events at school, try something new and different this year to spread the smile of happiness among the under privileged section of the society.
- Donate the funds collected for party to an orphanage or shelter home and experience the true joy of happiness by bringing smiles on their face.
- Organize a fun celebration at shelter homes for children and make them participate in unique activities like poetry, painting or dancing; this will make them feel special.
- By donating clothes, books, toys, stationery and other such items to the downtrodden street children; as this will inculcate the value of sharing among your kids and being friendly with them.
- By taking an initiative to sponsor the education of a needy child in your neighbour or for your helper’s kid can also be done.
These tiny efforts from your end will spread a spark of happiness in the entire world and will also enlighten the future foundation of this country by teaching them the act of sharing and helping others Make an oath to yourself this Children’s day that you will perform just one act of generosity and bring a smile on a tiny toddler’s face. If your children are also involved in this act of generosity then this will surely be a cherry on the top. Let the noble act of loving children by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru be carried forward by us and spread among generations to come.
Contributed By: Meenakshi Ahuja
Significance of the divine mounts of Gods and Goddesses
Goddess Saraswati: Swan and Peacock
Goddess Saraswati is the store house of knowledge and wisdom, and the lover of art and music. Lord Brahma, the divine consort of Goddess Saraswati, creates the beautiful Universe and Sarsawati ji completes the process by showering the knowledge required for comprehending the creation.
The pious and serene state of Goddess is depicted by her vahan i.e. swan. The pure white swan portrays the selfless realization of true knowledge and also the discrimination between the eternal and mortal. The Goddess is also accompanied with a peacock near her image that signifies the ignorant attitude and how one is tangled in the deceptive charm of beauty. By mounting on the peacock, Saraswati ji teaches that the external appearance is transitory and should not be given priority. It’s the divine inner soul that needs to be focused and revered.
Lord Vishnu: Serpent and Garuda
Lord Vishnu also known as Narayana is the maintainer who sustains the entire creation. Lord Vishnu is the strength to maintain goodness in the Universe and he is also the remover of darkness of illusion. The connection between Lord Vishnu and his ‘sesha naag’ is renowned where the Lord rests upon sesha’s form of snake. Sesha means ‘balance’, thus the Lord is laid upon him. Snake is a symbol of time, eternity and wisdom that shows the controller of time representing the absolute truth of life.
Garuda, the eagle god is also the Vahana of Lord Vishnu that is well known for its speed and mighty wings. At one instance, Garuda wanted a place even higher than Lord Vishnu but as he got acquainted of the powers of Lord Vishnu, he became his faithful devotee by surrendering himself as his vehicle. It symbolise the numerous flying thoughts of mortals and the way they are controlled by the Almighty.
Lord Shiva: Nandi bull
Lord Shiva is the embodiment of creating as well as destroying. He is worshipped for his supreme powers and signifies the union of duality with Goddess Shakti. The vehicle of lord Shiva, Nandi bull symbolise the brutal and aggressive attitude of humans. By mounting on the top of the bull, lord Shiva tames the evil energies and also controls the sexual impulses. Shiva controls the negative impulses by riding on its back and teaches the important lesson to mankind.
Goddess Durga: Lion
Goddess Durga, another form of Parvati ji is the ferocious depiction of powerful and warrior Goddess. She is the widely adored deity renowned for female energy or Shakti. Goddess Durga with three eyes and ten arms is mounted on the golden hairy lion that symbolise the removal of dark night through bright golden light. Defeating the demon Mahishasura, mounting on the lion represents the ferocious and wild nature of both the Goddess and her vehicle. The lion acts as the celestial vehicle and portrays the lordly powers of wild beast.
Lord Ganesha: Mouse
The one without whom every important work is incomplete and without whose grace our life is doomed is our own beloved Ganesha. The remover of all our obstacles, Ganesha is the store house of knowledge, wisdom and intelligence. Lord Ganesh is often seen riding the tiny moshika raj ‘mouse’ as his vehicle which is considered weak. Mouse is related with destructive traits that spoils the food and crops, especially. Here the mouse connotes the human mind that destroys the mental peace due to evil thoughts and energies, but by mounting on the devil energies, Lord Ganesha crushes them. The faithful devotion is depicted by bestowing a peaceful mind to the devotee and teaching us the power of goodness and faith.
Lord Brahma: Seven swans
Lord Brahma is the supreme deity known for creation of this Universe. He is upmost source of knowledge and his consort Goddess Saraswati is the Goddess of knowledge and wisdom. Brahma ji is known for the creation of Vedas that are the base of knowledge for this Universe. The four head and four armed God is the symbol of four vedas, four maha yugas and the fourfold social order. He is seen mounted on the chariot lead by seven swans as swan is the symbol of knowledge and discretionary powers. Swan is known for purity that teaches us to make right decisions in our life. Swan is also known for separating milk from the mixture of milk and water that reveals the characteristic trait of Lord Brahma to make fine distinction while creating the Universe.
Goddess Lakshmi: Owl
The Goddess of prosperity and wealth is the consort of Sri Mahavishnu and is highly revered by the Hindu devotees. She is the store house of wealth, good luck, fortune, beauty, charm and riches that defines her power of showering unlimited blessings. The vehicle of goddess Lakshmi, an owl or ‘uluka’ is often a negative connotation; therefore it is considered to be associated with Alakshmi (Goddess of inauspiciousness). It is believed that during the Samudra manthan, Lakshmi was born out of Amrit and Alakshmi emerged with Halahal. As owl is known for its nocturnal activity, it is associated with ill omen but for few the ability of owl to see only in darkness symbolise the capability of going from darkness to light i.e. materialism to spiritualism. The figure of owl with the Goddess is a reminder that the wealth and fortune are a trap and our inner conscious and wisdom keeps us away from the ‘adharmik’ use of that fortune.
Lord Indra: Airavata
The most powerful and excellent warrior, known as the King of Devas and also the God of War and Weather. The term Indra is derived from a Sanskrit word ‘Ind’ meaning to be powerful and the one who defeats his enemy. He is even renowned for his arrogant traits, yet he is the chief deity in Rig Veda. To maintain dharma in all three lokas and fight against evil powers, Lord Indra is the heroic protagonist. The four tusked, white elephant is the vahana of this deity, which is said to have emerged during Samudra manthan. The mighty elephant is renowned for protecting the gates of paradise as well as other miracles. It is said that Airavata gathered water from the large lakes of Udaygiri Mountains and showers it in the direction of lord Indra; thus holding the ability of giving rise to clouds or pouring rain. The pious and spotless white creature is a symbol of purity and is known to be created during the beginning of life by Lord Brahma.
Lord Vayu: Thousands of horse
The great personification of wind, Lord Vayu is known as the initial partaker of soma juice. He is a dear friend of lord Indra and given equal respect and weightage. He is as swift as mind and also called as the God of Thoughts. He is one of the major elements of the five elements of the Universe and is also described as ‘Satata-ga’ (ever moving), ‘Pavana’ (wind), and ‘Gandha-vaha’ (the perfume bearer). He is the guardian of North West direction and the father of Lord Hanuman and Bheema. Vayu devta is often shown riding forty nine or thousand horses that helps to cover long distances swiftly within few seconds. Horse is known for its swift and mighty powers and is often symbolised as notorious and fast mind that flies from one thought to another in just few seconds. By climbing upon these horses, Lord Vayu tames the swift thoughts and brings stability and calmness in our mind. The white coloured horses that cover all the three lokas of the world are a symbol of victory over our evil and negative thoughts.
Contributed By: Meenakshi Ahuja
Religious Ceremonies of Guru Nanak Dev Jaynati
‘Before becoming a Muslim, a Sikh, a Hindu or a Christian lets become a Human first’; this beautiful message of humanity was spread by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who had always inspired to become subservient to God leaving behind your religion, positions and name. The reverent founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born on 5th April 1469 at Roi-Bhoi-di Talwandi, presently in Pakistan. His birth anniversary is celebrated with enthusiasm and faith by his devotees on Kartik Puranmashi in the lunar month of November, every year.
Gurpurab:
The term Gurpurab came up at the time of Sikh gurus, where ‘Gur’ means ‘the spiritual teacher’ and ‘Purb’ means ‘Parva in Sanskrit or occasion’; so the holy occasion is to pay homage at the birth or death anniversary of Sikh Gurus.
Prior celebration ceremonies:
Prabhat Pheris i.e. the morning processions are organized few days before the festival, where devotees gather near Gurdwara and begin the procession by singing the devotional hymns and finally moves towards the home that has invited them for religious means. Prashaad is distributed among the sangat after the procession.
Three day festival:
The enthusiastic zestful festival is celebrated for three days in a row. Akhand path is performed in the Gurdwara that lasts for continuous 48 hours. It is also organized at the homes of devotees.
On the second day, a huge procession called ‘Nagar Kirtan’ is organized, led by Panj Piare (five senior and most lovable Sikhs). The Palki or palanquin is decorated with beautiful flowers and is the major attraction. The devotees singing hyms and devotional songs throughout the procession and martial arts are also performed known as ‘Gatka’.
Then finally on the main day, on the birthday date, Asa-di-Var (morning hymns) is began at around 4 am, which is followed by Katha (explanation of scriptures), reciataion of the poems and laurels of Guru. At around 2:00 pm, the celebration is followed by Ardaas and Guru ka langar. At some Gurdwaras, the night prayers are also done in which Rehras Sahib is recited followed by late night kirtan.
The devotees cherish the festival by cleaning and decorating the houses and fireworks are burnt to further rejoice. The festival is mainly celebrated in India, Pakistan and few parts of England.
Arjuna was in win-win situation: 10 facts that made Arjuna a perfect character!
A story becomes a great epic only because of its characters and their peculiar traits, which leaves the footprints on the sand of time and stays eternal forever. The portrayal of niche thinking, complexities and determination of attaining fame; better explained through the phrase ‘Everything is fair in love and war’ and yea it was definitely ‘The War’. The great epic, Mahabharata marks the beginning of egocentric, shrewd and all other negative sides of human nature with a tint of humanity.
Though every character justified with their specific roles, yet the hero is only one and probably ‘Arjuna’, the middle one out of the five Pandavas warriors out shined as a true hero. I am not saying that ‘Arjuna’ was a perfect character but in spite of his own complexities or as per the plot of the story, he was usually in a win-win situation.
#A grand celebration was performed at Arjuna’s birth and Lord Indra was gratified by the success stories of his son and called himself a proud father of Arjuna.
#Arjuna was focussed and perspicuous about his goals and he earned his success by working hard. He practised to shoot an arrow in darkness as well as by hearing the minute audible sounds.
#Arjuna remained in the priority wish list of Bheeshma and Dronacharya forever. Both the talented warriors supported him and even opted for inappropriate actions to prove his excellence.
#Karan being an equally capable warrior as Arjuna, could never flourish because of his karmas and favouring the wrong doers i.e. Duryodhan; which indirectly lead Arjuna to excel.
#Arjuna’s feelings for his beloved Draupadi were true but sharing his wife with the other four was not his idea. Yet he abided his mother and accepted the truth.
#In spite of any complex situation, Arjuna bestowed full faith upon his soul mate- Lord Krishna and received his hearty blessings as a devotee and follower.
#At one point, Arjuna had to raise his sword to kill his dear brother Yudhistra, as per his oath. Yet Arjuna could not accept his own deed of disrespecting his brother and paid for his sin.
#The moral code and empathetic attitude of Arjuna, made him receive laurels and blessings from all his relations.
#Till the end, Arjuna had a soft corner towards Karan and respected him as a brave competitor. Only to abide by his master’s wish, Arjuna had to shoot an arrow on Karan.
#In spite of an opportunity of choosing the great army of 10,000 warriors, Arjuna remained firm with his decision of choosing Lord Krishna. The success of Arjuna was sure shot, since he preferred to sit near his master’s feet rather that near his head like Duryodhan.
The enlightening journey of Arjuna in holy Bhagvad Gita is an epitome of his successful and perfect character and proves my above statement judiciously.
Contributed By: Meenakshi Ahuja
Is Halloween an Indian Festival?
The era of adopting westernized techniques to ideology to dressing style and so on; the air of western culture is widely dominant in India, since more than a decade. As we are saying that our Indian culture is being modified by western views, here I contradict my own statement by highlighting the Indian traditional and cultural norms still being valued in the form of our enthusiastic and bright Indian festivals.
Have you ever wondered that may be these Indian festivals have some connection with the Western world festivals; or rather few of the festivals hold the same significance and motive for celebrating them. If you say yes, then yea you are absolutely correct because here we have unusual similarities between the ‘horror festival of Halloween’ and ‘Indian festival of Kali Chaudas’.
Eerie essence of Halloween:
The Celtic tribe celebrated Samhain, at the beginning of winter season to please the evil ghostly powers, which are said to dominate over the Sun God on this day. The Druid circle performs their own ceremonies on this day along with offering thanks to the dead for the rich harvest of the season. So the entire kingdom is kindled with fire before the new moon day to welcome the wandering dead spirits and offer them with the grand feast to pacify their hungry souls.
Celebration of good over evil of Kali Chaudas:
The Indian festival of Kali Chaudas falls on the fourteenth day of the moon cycle or one day before the new moon day, marked by the bright festival of Diwali. This festival is associated with the period to celebrate the harvest of this season and offer auspicious homage to their ‘Kul-devta or kul-devi’. Before this festival, Indians pay special reverence to their ancestors by organizing Shradh puja and honouring their Pitras or manes. During this shradh period, families prepare great feasts to pacify the hungry souls of their ancestors and receive blessings from them. The also feed the birds as they are considered to be the spirits of dead and messengers of Lord Yama (God of Death).
Rare mystery of ‘Pumpkins’:
The Halloween gives special importance to ‘Pumpkin’ and devilish faces are painted on it and placed outside the house, to prevent the entrance of evil spirits and wandering souls inside the house. In the same way, Pumpkin was also used by Indians to restrict the wanderers to a particular way and it was also used in magical ceremonies of keeping away the evil spirits.
Opportunity for tiny toddlers:
Both the western and Indian world gives opportunity to the kids to enjoy on this festival and celebrate it with zest. In west, children dress up as evil and devilish characters and go from one house to another to collect funds and similarly the Indian kids dress up in their best attire during the festive season of Deepawali.
Devil form of women:
As the evil ‘witch’ is widely prominent in Halloween and people dress up like them to scare them away, and not let them enter their house or destroy their harvest. The story of Adam’s wife Lilith, turning into a succubus is widely known and since then the demon role of women was evident. In Indian context, the furious and devilish form of Goddess Kali is revered on this day for ending Naraksura (demon). This shows that how a beautiful, elegant lady can transform into devilish form when she has been exploited and failed to get the respect as women.
So the two festivals are almost similar as the idea of feeding the ghosts or ancestors for pacifying their soul and celebrating the pious day of Diwali and All Saints Day and All Souls Day respectively; truly signify the connectivity among humanity and one world as a whole.
Contributed By: Meenakshi Ahuja
10 Unique Facts about Thanksgiving festival to Lord Surya: Chhath Puja
The ultimate way to offer thanks to the ultimate source of energy ‘Surya Devta’ is a unique festival in this incredible India. Chhath is no more a regional festival of Biharis and Terai region Hindus, but is widely accepted by hilly origins and almost throughout India. Let us explore this Hindu thanks giving ceremony to God Sun.
- The auspicious tradition of Chhath puja was initiated by son of Surya, Karan who ruled over the Anga Desh (Munger district of Bihar) during the time of Mahabharata.
- Lord Rama and Mata Sita offered special prayers to lord Sun ad fasted after returning to Ayodhya from exile and begin the ritual of celebrating Chhath puja.
- The special powers were bestowed to Draupadi by Surya devta, which helped the Pandavas to regain back their kingdom of Hastinapur.
- To receive immense blessings and prosperity from Surya, Chhath is celebrated lively for four days period during the Hindu month of Kartik.
- First day is Nahai Khai i.e. ‘Nahai’ means ‘bathing’ and ‘Khai’ means ‘to eat’; the devotees take a holy dip in river or lake and holy water is taken at home to cook prasadam (offering food).
- The second day is Kharna, on which the worshippers perform ‘nirjalahaar’ vrat for about 8 to 12 hours. By the end of the day, the fast is eneded by adoring lord Sun and eating Prasad. Then another 36 hours fast is begins.
- The third day is the main festival of Chhath called Sandhya Argha. The devotees clad themselves in yellow coloured attire and offer the specially prepared food offerings to Surya Devta at the riverbank in the evening.
- The last day is Suryodaya Argha on which the devotees gives the early morning offerings at the riverbank and break their fast by having Chhath Prasad.
- This festival is a morning and evening affair on all the four days as the sunrise and sunset rays are most beneficial for human body and consists of low intensity of ultra violet rays.
- The traditional festival of Chhath showers you with positivity by detoxifying the mind, soul and body; and removes the negative energies by adoring the powerful Sun.
Contributed By: Meenakshi Ahuja
10 Facts Revealing the Eternal Love of Siblings
Relationships are a precious gift that makes you feel special and loved in this world. The feeling of ‘Vasudev Kutumbakam’ is realized when the bonds of selfless love are nurtured and provides a reason to survive in this world. To cherish the connecting bond with our soul and the supreme Universe, become a part of the Indian traditional festivals. Here are few highlighting facts about Bhai-dooj.
- Bhai Dooj is referred by various names depending upon the states. Like Bhai Phota in Bengal, Bhai Tika in Nepal, Ningol Chakuba in Manipur, Yama Dwiteya in Orissa and Bhau beej in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.
- Bhai means ‘brother’ and Dooj means ‘second day after new moon’; so it is celebrated two days after Deepawali during the Shukla Paksh of Kartik month.
- The pious festival involves the applying of vermillion on brother’s forehead by revering the beautiful bond between brothers and sisters.
- To cherish the eternal knot between siblings, they exchange gifts and feasts are organized among family members.
- On this day, Lord Yama visited Yami and she greeted her by applying a vermillion mark on his forehead and praying for his longevity and well-being.
- Subhadra welcomed Lord Krishna by applying tilak on his forehead, when he reached home after defeating devil Naraksura.
- King Nandivardhan (brother of Lord Mahavira) was soothed by his sister Sudarshana, when Lord Mahavira attained nirvana.
- This day is the cultural representation of Indian culture where men and women clad in the best ethnic and elegant attires.
- Fasts is observed by the sisters till they apply tilak on their brother’s forehead and later they enjoy the lavish treat together.
- The post Diwali celebration of the five day festival is completed on a happy note and glorifies the eternal love of siblings and families.
Contributed By: Meenakshi Ahuja
Gajamukta, a rarest Mani
The universe and its magical existence have a full-fledged influence on our lives, whether you believe it or not. People often wear stones or pearls to get rid of their issues and attract the positivity towards them. One of the rarest existences, in this dominant gem world is ‘Gajamukta’ or ‘commonly known as ‘elephant pearls’. It is a yellowish-white, oversized egg shaped stones. It can also be brownish in tone, depending upon the formation. Gajamukta is the rarest pearl, known to exist in one out of the millions elephants. Its formation is exclusive, like its existence, i.e. from the calcified masses of ivory and tusk of the elephant. It is classified as a Mani that is rare in existence.
Possessing magical and medicinal values, Gajamuktas are rare thus highly expensive and valuable and were owned by few of our great Kings of India during that era.
Significance of Gajamukta:
The revered and valued stone of gajamukta has divine and magical existence. It is widely renowned as a stone that keeps you away from all the negativity and stress. The stone has a cool and peaceful radiation as the natural pearls have moon dominant qualities. It is a sure shot jackpot for the owners, who possess this stone as he never has to worry about finance; therefore it was owned by Maharajas in the earlier time. They have unique feature of curing acute diseases and can even bless the barren women with the ability to conceive. Major problems like arthritis and joint pains have been cured by this extra ordinary pearl. It not only has a scientific relevance but is also a divine healer as you feel a change in your inner self. The vibrations of your surroundings transform tremendously and your lost peace is regained by achieving silence.
Mythological and Scientific Relevance:
The ancient Buddhist texts consist of the magical relevance of elephant stone and is still revered and adored by them. “According to the scientific researches, an elephant lives for approximately 125 years, so these pearls takes more than 75 years to be formed. It begins from a tiny grain sized to different sized stone, according to the tusk of the elephant.” This rare gem is only found in Airavata race and has adjoining sentiments of gaining wealth, fame and curing diseases. The Hindu text believes that this pearl is a symbol of Lord Ganesh’s soul and therefore considered fortunate and lucky.
Unique Testing Qualities:
Gajamukta is known to possess unique qualities that make it differentiate from others.
- When two elephant stones are placed together, they are attracted towards each other but they do not hold any magnetic traits.
- The water turns milky, if Gajmukta is put into clean water.
- Bubbles are produced, when the stone is kept in coconut water and the level of the water decreases, eventually.
- By placing the elephant stone on a betel leaf (Paan patta), it starts vibrating.
Contributed By: Meenakshi Ahuja
Revering the God of Creativity:Lord Vishwakarma
The creative son of Brahma, lord Vishwakarma is the official creator of the magical residing palaces of Gods. He is the sole designer of the eternal Universe and maintains the unique connection between Earth and Heaven. The peculiar trait weapon and flying chariots of gods have also been innovatively designed by Lord Vishwakarma. The God of Manufacture is worshipped by the skilled class of devotees majorly being architects, engineers, craftsmen, potters, carpenter, goldsmiths, blacksmiths and other factory workers.
Day of Celebration:
Lord Vishwakarma is actually worshipped on the last day of the Bengali month i.e. Bhadra or Kanya Sakranti which falls on 17th September; but it is also celebrated on the fourth day of Diwali festival on Padyami. This festival has a major craze in Karnataka, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Tripura, but widely celebrated by Indians globally.
Holiday for machines and equipment:
As the highest ranked creative God is being worshipped on this day and the entire industrial class revers him, this day is an official holiday for the industries. It is believed that the machines should take a peaceful rest on this particular day and let the glory of Vishwakrama fall upon them and make them more efficient. Factory owners also prefer buying new equipment or machinery on this day, as it is considered lucky and prosperous for their working.
Relevance of this day:
The day is not only auspicious for industries and machinery but also has further unique add on s. Govardhan Puja is also celebrated on this day to remember the miracles of Lord Krishna, when he saved the entire city of Gokul from the outrage of Lord Indra. To increase the bond of love between couples, Gudi Padwa is celebrated in which the newly wed couples are invited for special treats by the bride’s family.
This festival spreads the message of adoring creativity and boosting the talented God and his man power. It brings together people from the varied classes and leaves no distinction among them. When the entire working class comes together, it removes the pride of their ranks and they simply cherish their skills. Kite flying is also an important custom on this day, and Bihar and West Bengal arrange special kite flying festivals.
Architectural creations by Lord Vishwakrama:
The laurels of Vishwakarma’s innovation have been mentioned in mythology and Vedas. He has been credited for the flawless creation of God’s abodes in the four ‘yugas’.
‘Swarg lok’ or heaven has been created by the talented Lord Vishwakarma, which is the abode of Gods and is ruled by lord Indra.
During the ‘Treta yug’, Vishwakarma built the beautiful golden city for Lord shiva and Parvati. This was later demanded by Ravana in return of ‘dakshina’; since then it was called as the ‘Raavan’s sone ki Lanka’.
The city of Lord Krishna, Dwarka has been established by Vishwakarma in the ‘Dwapar yug’, which is now a renowned pilgrimage for Hindu devotees.
Lord Vishwakarma’s magic is also evident during the ‘kali yuga’, when the pandavas were ordered to live on a piece of land named ‘Khaandavprastha’. He transformed this barren land into a magical city of Indraprastha, which was known for its architectural beauty.
Contributed By: Meenakshi Ahuja
Different shades of Lights: Interesting facts of Diwali
The auspicious festival of light, Diwali means the ‘row of lighted lamps’ which symbolise the journey from darkness to light. The festival is a message to illuminate our inner true selves and cherish our illuminated soul in the eternal Universe (Brahman). Let us explore few of the interesting facts about this bright festival.
- The main festive day of Diwali in the five day celebration marks the beginning of Hindu New Year according to the Vikrama calendar.
- The craze for this festival is not only evident among Indians but also foreigners around the globe. Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji have an official day off on Diwali.
- The Lord of Death, Yama is revered on this day by lighting a diya, to welcome the dead spirits back to their family.
- In Southern India, especially Goa and Konkan, people burn the effigies of Narakasura on the next day of Diwali. Naraksura, the demon was killed by Lord Krishna and 16,000 women were rescued from his captivity.
- The 12 years of banishment of the Pandavas ended on this day and they appeared on the Kartik Amavasya.
- Great Hindu King Vikramaditya was coroneted on this day, hence Diwali became a historical event.
- Lord Mahavira attained nirvana on Diwali day at Pavapuri thus highly celebrated by Jain community.
- Maharshi Dayananda, the founder of Arya Samaj attained his nirvana on this day and Shardiya Nav-Shasyeshti is celebrated every year from then.
- Bandi Chhorh Divas is celebrated by Sikhs on this day as the foundation stone for Golden Temple was laid in 1577. In 1619, Sixth Guru Shri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji was freed from imprisonment of Emperor Jahangir from Gwalior fort, on the same day of Diwali.
- On this day Lord Vishnu rescued Goddess Lakshmi (and married her) from the prison of Demon king Bali and therefore Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on Diwali.
- The day is celebrated with Gambling as a way of ensuring good luck for the coming year and also to remember the games of dice between Lord Shiva and Parvati Ji.
- To welcome the Goddess of wealth, the entire house is purified and cleaned, and lighted with earthen lamps to brighten her way to our homes.
- This day marks the commencement of new Fiscal Year for Hindu Shop owners and Businessman so they usually begin their new records from then.
- Burning of crackers are the symbol of celebration after achieving enlightenment and the fumes released are beneficial for removing the insects and flies.
- ‘Shubh Deepavali’ is the ethnic and traditional greeting for Deepawali, meaning ‘Have an auspiscious Deepavali’.
To cherish the celebration of attaining good over evil and revering this special day, organize the Diwali puja at your home and book your puja package now: http://shubhpuja.com/Diwali-puja-organise-id-348501.html
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