History of Diwali (Deepavali)

Wishing you and your family a HAPPY DEEPAVALI

Most of us celebrate diwali, but how many of us know the real reasons
behind celebrating this festive time of year? It's not only about
having fun but there are mythical reasons behind celebrating
diwali. Like:-

1.Goddess Lakshmi's Birthday: The Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi
incarnated on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month
during the churning of the ocean (samudra-manthan) , hence the
association of Diwali with Lakshmi.

2. Vishnu Rescued Lakshmi: On this very day (Diwali day), Lord
Vishnu in his fifth incarnation as Vaman-avtaara rescued Lakshmi
from the prison of King Bali and this is another reason of
worshipping Ma Larkshmi on Diwali.

3. Krishna Killed Narakaasur: On the day preceding Diwali, Lord
Krishna killed the demon king Narakaasur and rescued 16,000 women
from his captivity. The celebration of this freedom went on for
two days including the Diwali day as a victory festival.

4. The Return of the Pandavas: According to the great epic
'Mahabharata' , it was 'Kartik Amavashya' when the Pandavas
appeared from their 12 years of banishment as a result of their
defeat in the hands of the Kauravas at the game of dice
(gambling). The subjects who loved the Pandavas celebrated the
day by lighting the earthen lamps.

5. The Victory of Rama: According to the epic 'Ramayana', it was
the new moon day of Kartik when Lord Ram, Ma Sita and Lakshman
returned to Ayodhya after vanquishing Ravana and conquering
Lanka. The citizens of Ayodhya decorated the entire city with the
earthen lamps and illuminated it like never before.

6. Coronation of Vikramaditya: One of the greatest Hindu King
Vikramaditya was coroneted on the Diwali day, hence Diwali became
a historical event as well.

7. Special Day for the Arya Samaj: It was the new moon day of
Kartik (Diwali day) when Maharshi Dayananda, one of the greatest
reformers of Hinduism and the founder of Arya Samaj attained his
nirvana.

8. Special Day for the Jains: Mahavir Tirthankar, considered to
be the founder of modern Jainism also attained his nirvana on
Diwali day.

9. Special Day for the Sikhs: The third Sikh Guru Amar Das
institutionalized Diwali as a Red-Letter Day when all Sikhs would
gather to receive the Gurus blessings. In 1577, the foundation
stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar was laid on Diwali. In
1619, the sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind, who was held by the Mughal
Emperor Jahengir, was released from the Gwalior fort along with
52 kings.

10. The Pope's Diwali Speech: In 1999, Pope John Paul II
performed a special Eucharist in an Indian church where the altar
was decorated with Diwali lamps, the Pope had a 'tilak' marked on
his forehead and his speech was bristled with references to the
festival of light.