Diwali – Bring on the lights!!

It is that time of the year again where children look forward to a nice week of holidays filled with lights, lamps and crackers, not to forget the sweets and the food. Diwali, also called Deepavali in other places in India, is a much awaited festival in all parts of the country. It symbolises the arrival of good luck and success and money into everyone's lives. It ushers in new ventures and a year ahead filled with hopes of a good and prosperous life ahead.

Diwali is celebrated with prayers and offerings to the Goddess Lakshmi who is the Goddess of money and wealth. That apart it is famously known as the festival of lights. On the days this festival is celebrated people clean their houses, decorate it with flowers and lamps. Diwali is never complete however without the crackers. This time of the year the manufacturers of crackers are the busiest as people flock to buy these crackers to celebrate with family and friends. The profits gained during this festival are enormous.

Diwali is celebrated for various reasons. Each religion in this country has a different reason to celebrate this festival. One famous story is that Diwali is celebrated to mark the last harvest of the year just before winter sets in. Keeping in mind this reason Goddess Lakshmi is thanked for all the success and people pray for a wonderful year ahead with lot more success.

Another theory that holds good here is that Diwali was first celebrated to welcome King Ram when he came back to his kingdom Ayodhya after 14 long years in the forest. To celebrate his arrival people lit rows of lamps and thus Diwali came into existence. In the southern part of the country people believe that Diwali is celebrated to mark the death of Demon Narakasura at the hands of Lord Krishna.

In some other religions like Jainism the story is a different one.
In the Jain culture it is believed that diwali is celebrated to remember the Nirvana of Lord Mahavira. In Sikhism Diwali symbolises the release of the 6th Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji.

What ever the reason Diwali is a festival celebrated by everyone in this country irrespective of their religion. It actually brings together people from different parts of the country and different religions. Children have the maximum fun with days filled with good food, great sweets, new clothes and evenings filled with bursting crackers. It is a common sight in India to see people light lamps and decorate their houses on Diwali, greeting neighbours, friends and family alike, children running around the house screaming, bursting crackers outside. The louder you can celebrate this festival, the more fun it is!!

Ajanta Caves

Buddhism is not one of the most popular religions in India. So you won’t find many Buddhist temples in India, but if you are interested in knowing about the origins and history of Buddhism then Ajanta Caves are the place to visit. They are located about 40 Kms from the Jalgaon city which is in Maharashtra, India. These are basically a series of 29 cave temples which stretch across east to west. Out of these 30 caves, 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are chaitya-grihas and all other are monasteries. These caves are rock cut and carved on a cliff along the Waghora River. It was around second century BC-AD that these caves were built.
These caves have some of the greatest Buddhist art masterpieces and sculptures which encompass both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions. The paintings in the caves of Ajanta give you a lot of knowledge about the life of Gautam Buddha who was the founder of Buddhism. Apart from these illustrations you will also find many popular Jataka Stories pertaining to bodhistavas. The caves are actually built in two periods, both of them separated by each other by a gap of four centuries.
Most of the caves are quite dark from inside and it is very hard to see the paintings in pitch darkness. So you need to purchase a special lighting ticket, on production of which the guards inside the cave will switch on the lights and you can see the paintings glowing in there original colors.
It is believed that these paintings were carved on a dry surface. Before starting with the painting, a thick layer of cow dung and clay mixed with rice husks was applied on the rocky surface. Finally a coat of lime was applied on the surface and then the artisans started painting.
There are 29 caves; in the first cave you will find paintings of women, Bodhisattvas and Jataka paintings. The most popular is Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and Bodhisattva Padmapani. In the second cave you will find paintings related to Buddha’s birth. In cave 3 and 4 you will find unfinished images of Buddha. Cave sixth is two storied and you will find a seated image of Buddha. The tenth cave is said to be the oldest cave and it contains sculptures from Hinayana and Mahyana period. Cave 17 contains the best known images at the Ajanta caves. In this way there are 29 Caves, each one of them unique in on way or the other.
The Ajanta caves contain one of the best pieces of Indian art. They depict the rich Indian culture and heritage.

Dusshera - The Victory Of Good Over Evil

Vijayadashami or Dusshera is one of the most popularly celebrated festivals in India. Dusshera is the victory of good over evil. According to the Hindu calendar it is celebrated on the tenth day of the Hindu month Ashwina.
According to the Hindu mythology it is believed that all the good things were present in the ruler of Ayodhya, the god king Ram. It is on this day that Ram killed Ravan who was the ruler of Lanka and had abducted his wife Sita. Lord Ram fought a courageous battle along with his brother Lakshman and his devote Lord Hanuman with an army of monkeys. This battle was fought for 10 days after which Ram killed the king of Lanka Ravan. After rescuing his wife Sita ram went to Ayodhya. It was exactly after 20 days that Ram reached Ayodhya and after this every year this day is celebrated as Diwali.
Dusshera is considered as one of the most auspicious day in Hindu mythology and is said to be the best day to start any new work. When the month of Ashwina starts it is called as the beginning of the navratra. With it also starts the dramatization of Ramayana. It is on the tenth day that a huge statue of Ravan is created and is filled with crackers. These effigies of Ravan with Meghnada and Kumbhakarna are burnt with a lot of pomp and show.
This day is also celebrated as Durga Puja or Kali Puja in Bengal. While in Ayodhya it is celebrated as the worship of goddess Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Shakti. In Bangalore it is celebrated as the worship of goddess Chamundeshwari who is borne on an elephant mounted throne and then worshipped throughout the city. In Karnataka it is celebrated in the form of Ayudh Puja.
On this day the good got victorious over evil, hence it is considered very auspicious. Many people start all there new ventures on this day. All the tools for agriculture, school books, pens, machines and household articles are placed before the idols of goddess Durga and Sarwasti and are worshipped.
These festivals show the diverse culture and rich heritage of India. It shows how different people celebrate the same day in different style but with a lot of fanfare. These festivals play a great role in bonding different cultures and showing how there can be unity in diversity.