Diwali 2022

Diwali is a festival of lamps and celebration. Different regions associate it with different stories. This account follows the tradition of Rama’s return to Ayodhya.

Rama was returning to Ayodhya after fourteen years in exile. Sita and Lakshmana were with him. Ravana had been defeated in Lanka, and Vibhishana had become king there. After a long separation, it was time to go home.

In Ayodhya, Bharata was waiting for his elder brother. He had been away when Rama was sent into exile. When he returned and heard what had happened, he refused the throne. He went to the forest to bring Rama back, but Rama chose to complete the fourteen years and honour their father’s promise. Bharata returned with Rama’s sandals, placed them on the throne and governed in his brother’s name. He himself lived simply at Nandigrama.

On the journey back from Lanka, Rama sent Hanuman ahead. He asked him first to tell his friend Guha that he was well, then to tell Bharata that he was returning with Sita, Lakshmana and their companions. At Nandigrama, Hanuman found Bharata dressed like an ascetic. He told him that the brother for whom he had waited so many years was now approaching.

Bharata was overjoyed. He embraced Hanuman and listened to the whole account. Then he called Shatrughna and asked him to prepare Rama’s welcome. Roads were repaired and sprinkled with water. Flowers were scattered and flags raised. The mothers, ministers and people of Ayodhya set out to receive him.

When Pushpaka appeared, everyone looked towards it. Rama stepped down, and Bharata came to him. After years apart, the brothers embraced again. Rama bowed to his mothers. Bharata brought the sandals he had cared for and placed them at Rama’s feet. The responsibility he had held during his brother’s absence could now be returned.

Bharata asked Rama to accept the kingdom, and Rama agreed. He changed out of the clothes of exile. Rama, Lakshmana and their companions entered Ayodhya, where people lined the streets to see them. Rama had returned with Sita, Lakshmana and the friends who had stood beside him in difficult times.

Preparations began for the coronation. Water was brought from sacred rivers and oceans. Vasishtha and the other sages anointed Rama and Sita. Rama honoured his companions, and Sita gave Hanuman a necklace. Ayodhya’s long separation was over, and Rama took charge of the kingdom.

Diwali’s popular tradition recalls the joy of this homecoming through lamps. The family and the city that had waited for years were together once more.

Diwali brings together traditions of Rama's homecoming, Lakshmi worship and other regional observances. It is celebrated through light, generosity, family gatherings and renewal. Jain and Sikh observances during the season have their own distinct religious meanings.

Today people clean and decorate their homes with rangoli and torans, light lamps and meet loved ones. Many families perform Lakshmi Puja. In Gujarat, many business families worship their account books and exchange greetings at the New Year that follows.

In Gujarat and Maharashtra the new year follows the day after, so Diwali is the eve of something rather than a climax. Bengal keeps the same night as Kali Puja, facing the goddess in her fierce form instead of Lakshmi. In the south it is Naraka Chaturdashi the morning before that carries the weight, with an oil bath before dawn. Jains keep it as the night Mahavir attained nirvana, and Sikhs as Bandi Chhor Divas.