Duwali, the Festival of Lights is a festive five day holiday celebrating good conquering evil and wisdom prevailing over ignorance. Deepawali literally translates to a “row of lights.” It is symbolized by shining light over darkness. So like Christmas in America, the houses, villages and cities are lit up to the hilt, only here the emphasis is frequently on rows of lights. It is celebrated nearly everywhere, with some regional differences. The holiday begins on the thirteenth day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month Kartika - don’t worry if you find that a bit baffling - anyone in India can tell you. It runs five days, with fireworks in the form of straight up TNT shattering the nights for an indefinite time after. Each day focuses on a different aspect. The first day is devoted to preparation. This involves going into overdrive cleaning the house. While the streets may be, well, they definitely are, overflowing with garbage, household interiors are generally kept clean by India hygiene standards. But the ante is upped for Lakshmi as you definitely want her to stop in. So there is not only your usual sweeping out and scrubbing down, but also polishing silverware or better yet, purchasing new shiny silverware. And decorating the home. It is a time of new beginnings, so it’s time to buy new things. If they are made of metal, all the better. Buying silverware and jewelry is an auspicious start to your new year. It is also a time to focus on and pray for good health. So use your imagination here when building your tiny alters. It’s a day to honor Dhavantari, the divine physician who emerged from the churning of the cosmic waters with Amrita, the nectar of immortality. Come evening, lamps (diyas) are lit to invite Lakshmi.
The second day, known by a couple different names, but for brevity let’s choose Naraka Chatturdashi. This is the day Lord Krishna or the goddess Kali depending upon your belief, destroyed the demon Narakasura, freeing the world from fear. It’s a quieter day. A day to wake early, bathe in fragrant oils to wash away all negativity and wear new clothes, no old ones that might hold an aura of bad karma. I’m guessing you should avoid thrift store purchases and buy only organicalky grown fabrics produced and transported in accordance with fair trade practices. Today rangoli can be drawn at your doorstep to transform the ordinary into the sacred and rows of marigolds, representing sun energy and deflecting evil can be strung. Light the lamps early today to celebrate light over darkness, decorate and prepare sweets for tomorrow.
The third day, Lakshmi Puja, is The Big Day. A day to invite the goddess of beauty, wealth, and tenderness and all that she stands for into your heart and home. This most sacred and joyous day is a celebration of Lord Rama’s defeat of Ratana and his return after fourteen years in exile. This story is told in households like the Night Before Christmas is told in America on Christmas Eve.
The story of Lord Rama’s exile and return is one of the most cherished tales in Indian culture, drawn from the Ramayana. It symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, righteousness over injustice, and love over ego.
The Exile of Lord Rama: Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, was the eldest and most virtuous son of King Dasharatha. On the eve of his coronation, Queen Kaikeyi invoked an old promise, demanding that her son Bharata be crowned king and that Rama be exiled for fourteen years. Bound by duty, Rama accepted without protest, accompanied by his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. Together they left the city of Ayodhya and wandered the forests, living simply and upholding virtue.
Sita’s Abduction: During their exile, they encountered sages, demons, and kings. The ten-headed Ratana, king of Lanka, learned of Sita’s beauty and, driven by desire and pride, abducted her and took her to his island fortress. In captivity, Sita remained pure and steadfast, praying for Rama’s return.
Alliance with Hanuman: Rama formed an alliance with Sugriva, king of the Vanaras (monkey warriors). Among them was Hanuman, whose devotion became legendary. Hanuman leapt across the ocean to find Sita, gave her Rama’s ring, and reassured her that help was near. He then burned parts of Lanka bwith his fiery tail before returning to Rama.
The Great Battle of Lanka: Rama’s army built a bridge across the ocean and waged war against
Ravana’s forces. After fierce combat, Rama faced Ravana and defeated him with the Brahmastra, a celestial weapon. With Ravana’s fall, righteousness was restored.
Sita’s Trial by Fire and Return: After Sita’s rescue, she underwent the Agni Pariksha (trial by fire) to prove her purity, emerging unscathed. Rama, deeply moved, welcomed her back. The foiuteen years of exile were fulfilled, and the trio returned to Ayodhya.
The Return and the Birth of Diwali: As Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana returned, the people of Ayodhya lit thousands of oil lamps to celebrate their homecoming and the victory of light over darkness. This joyous event is celebrated every year with Diwali.
Symbolic Meaning: Rama symbolizes the virtuous self, Sita the pure soul, Ravana the ego, Hanuman faith and devotion, and the 14-year exile the human journey through darkness toward enlightenment. The return to Ayodhya represents the restoration of harmony and the light within.
The story of Rama’s return is celebrated every year as a reminder to keep the inner lamp of goodness and wisdom burning bright.
It’s a deeply devotional lay and a day of sharing the love!
This is a rangoli.
Here is another.
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| Jagdish Temple |
Late into the night gets dicey with strings of fireworks and mortars set off in the streets with little warning. I didn’t notice much alcohol here, compared with Jaipur where I felt every tuk tuk and cab driver had a bottle stashed close to him. I’d encourage using uber at the outset there, but be prepared, even though you’ve paid over the app, for drivers to demand payment in cash both at the beginning and the end of your ride, and to throw a dramatic hissy fit that makes it appear to bystanders you are not honoring your agreement to pay for a service rendered. It doesn’t surprise me that tourism has dropped there. Overlooking the stench of sewer, the ubiquity of garbage and feces, the dreadful experience of public toilets and the huge question mark of safe food handling is a bit much apart from facing the frustration of dealing with these sneaky snakes. Not saying they are all this way. Just saying it’s not uncommon in Jaipur. I didn’t experience any problems in Udaipur. And McLeod Ganj topped the charts with its laid back ambience and a more honest and respectful crew of drivers.
I had been drawn to Udaipur to celebrate this third night after seeing a photo of lanterns floating on Lake Pichola. Environmental concerns have restrained this into a much lower key celebration.
I stayed at a wonderful hotel, the Jaiwana Haveli… and the floating hotel above was the view from my corner windows.
This man, dressed in a silk suit was very intent upon setting sail to his lantern. I had the feeling that he was trying to send a message across the ethers. I wanted it to go for him, but it kept trying to return to the shore… and he kept blowing it back out. I hope the recipient got the message. And I hope that he finds peace in that aspect of Jagannath sensitive to overwhelming love and longing. Love so intense that it melts the body.
Jagdish has been in continuous use as a temple since 1651 A.D. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here as Jagannath. Gods transform you know. They change cosmic roles, that is they show a different face of the Divine. Jagannath is very approachable. He was worshipped in the indigenous forest communities in Odisha long before he was identified with Vishnu and Krishna, the latter being an incarnation of Vishnu. His was the original Darubrahma (Brahman carved primitively in natural wood) with wide open eyes always watching tenderly over the universe and seeing you, not demanding perfection, but seeing you and embracing you in your imperfections. The murtis of Jagannath have a round face, large wide eyes and an absence of clearly formed arms and legs, a reminder that the Divine is not found to human beauty standards and is not limited by form, caste or identity. This face was chosen for the temple by the Mewar clan, the ruling family of Udaipur until India’s independence, and in fact, the longest dynasty known in history. They are still very much present and influential in Udaipur society today. The Mewar rulers saw their kingship as a service to all beings. Over the 1400 years of their rule, as a family they denied personal power, but remained steadfast in their devotion to Shiva in his universal aspects, the deity called Eklingji, regarding him as the true king of the land. In fact, a Mewar could be removed from power if he did not behave in accordance with divine law.
Jagdish is a very active temple. This daily schedule is to give you a taste. The temple has seven distinct aartis during the day — each with a special name, meaning, and approximate timing. An aarti is a ritual wherein a flickering flame is passed in front of the mufti in a circular motion, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life and the dispelling of ignorance and awakening of wisdom, cleansing the environment and aligning the consciousness with divine energy.
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| Mangla Aarti | ~ 4:30 a.m. – 5:00 a.m. | The early-morning ritual; welcomes the day, deity is awakened, devotees begin with fresh mind. |
| Dhoop Aarti | ~ 7:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Mid-morning offering of incense and light; often involves more elaborate worship as more devotees arrive. |
| Shringar Aarti | ~ 10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | The “adornment” aarti: deity is decorated (“shringar”), dressed in fine clothes/ornaments. |
| Rajbhog Aarti | ~ 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | The midday “royal food offering” (bhog) is given; aarti marks the larger offering of food to the deity. |
| Gwal Aarti | ~ 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Evening aarti connected with cowherd (“gwal”) tradition of Lord Vishnu’s connection with cows/cowherds; a more relaxed worship setting. |
| Sandhya Aarti | ~ 6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. | The twilight or dusk aarti; transition from day to night; often more atmospheric with lamps and chanting. |
| Shayan Aarti | ~ 8:15 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. | The ‘sleeping’ aarti: deity is ceremonially put to rest for the night; a more gentle, calm ritual.
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I attended a few of the aartis as the temple was near my lodging and I was frequently passing by when people were chanting and bells were ringing and well, I was just drawn in. Each time it was a powerful and moving experience. I watched as the daytime festive clothing was removed from Jagannath and the evening clothing was donned, the purple inviting softness, longing and the remembrance of what is in your own heart. Hinduism does not try to minimize human emotions, but rather, it accepts and celebrates them. Everybody was all about sharing the love that third night.
This fellow is a very talented artist. You may have wondered about the person who paints names on a grain of rice. Well, he can do that and a whole lot more! It’s not really feasible for me to wear jewelry while backpacking, so I decided I’d have my thumbnails painted with peacocks as an homage to my late sister Gwennie and to match my sari design. We went to the art co-op where his workshop is, the Tribal India Art and Handicrafts. It was coincidence that he actually has a thing for peacocks and showed me his two most recent illustrations of peacocks. His repertoire is not limited to peacocks. He can create artwork from just a photograph and place it on any material, even fabric. And his knowledge of paints is extensive, so if you want a gilded picture or a certain shade, he can make it. He finds the stones and grinds them. Zunaid is a sincere and fair guy. So if you’d like to present a unique gift to someone, reach out and run your idea by him. He doesn’t do any professional marketing, but can probably show you something similar in his portfolio. His WhatsApp number is +91 75688 02889. He’s in my Rolodex. :-)
Day Four of Diwali, Govardhan Puja, is dedicated to Lord Krishna’s protection of the people of Braj and gratitude to agricultural animals, who are decorated and might even get their horns painted.
Day Five is pretty cool. It’s Bhai Dooj and celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters.
If you visit Udaipur, I recommend visiting the City Palace. It showcases a lot of fascinating history. I was intrigued by the stories of the rulers from the Mewar clan and badly wanted to read the book for sale there by Brian Masters, but it’s a heavy hardback and not available on Kindle. As my backpack is already overstuffed and heavy, that can’t happen. I’ll find it when I’m settled for a spell. Here are just a few pictures of the palace.
Yep, elephant litters.
All of the photos so far were taken in Old City Udaipur. The next ones are in modern Udaipur, closer to the railway station where I was headed next. India is filled with wondrous juxtapositions. In an impoverished neighborhood, the street decorations are chandeliers.
I found the exquisite details of this gate in a super janky area with diesel exhaust hanging in the air and piles of garbage about, hungry people begging mind-blowing.
The Mewar car collection is in this neighborhood too. Here are a couple of my favorites. I especially like the hood ornaments and the personalized etchings of Lord Shiva on the glass.
Across the street is a sweet park. I could have stayed in Udaipur longer and probably discovered a lot more, but alas, it was indeed a fantastic holiday.
