Saturday, November 7, 2026

What is Diwali? India's Festival of Lights



West coast's largest Hindu temple

The deeper meaning of Diwali

What is Diwali or the Festival of Lights?

New Year thanks to the Great God (Brahma)
Dipa-vali (Dīpāvalī) [a], commonly known as Diwali [4], is the Hindu Festival of Lights, with variations celebrated in other Dharmic religions such as Newar Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism [b].

Diwali is associated with the spiritual victory or triumph of Dharma over Adharma, light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance [5, 6, 7, 8].

Diwali is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin (according to the amanta tradition) and Kārtika – between around mid-October and mid-November [14], while the Western world is caught up in acknowledging the darkness of Halloween, Day of the Dead, Samhain, and the like.


The Buddha meets with Sakka and Brahma
Diwali celebrations generally last five or six days [15, 16]. It is connected to various religious events, deities, and personalities, such as being the day Rama returned to his kingdom in Ayodhya with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana after defeating the demon king Ravana [17].

Diwali is also widely associated with the Goddess of Prosperity Lakshmi and the Remover of Obstacles and a god of wisdom Ganesha [18].

Other regional Indian traditions connect the holiday to Vishnu, Krishna, Durga, Shiva, Kali, Hanuman, Kubera, Yama, Yami, Dhanvantari, or Vishvakarman.

Primarily a Hindu festival today, variations of Diwali are also celebrated by adherents of other non-Hindu traditions [15].

Newar Buddhist Diwali


The Great (Maha) Brahma, creator deity
Newar Buddhists, unlike other Buddhists, celebrate Diwali by worshipping Lakshmi, while the Hindus of Eastern India and Bangladesh generally, celebrate Diwali by worshipping the goddess Kali [22, 2, 23].

Jains observe their own Diwali, which marks the final liberation of their founder Mahavira [19, 20], who is known in Buddhism as the Nigantha Nattaputta or the Brahmin Vardhammana.

Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas to mark the release of Guru Hargobind from a Mughal prison [21]. More

San Francisco honors Diwali


Diwali Celebrations in New York City
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