It is now time for “Dev Deepawali” on the Varanasi ghats after “Deepotsav” at Ayodhya.
This year’s “Dev Deepawali” festival will be unique since President Draupadi Murmu will be there.
The celebration takes place 15 days after Diwali and coincides with the full moon of the Hindu month of Kartika (November–December).
More than a million earthen lamps (diyas) are lit to honour the Ganga River and its presiding goddess on the steps of each ghat along the Ganges River’s waterfront, from Ravidas Ghat at the southern end to Rajghat.
On this day, according to mythology, the gods come to earth to take a bath in the Ganges. Additionally, Tripura Purnima Snan is observed throughout the festival.
Houses are adorned with oil lamps and coloured decorations on their front doorways during Dev Deepawali. At night, oil lamps are set adrift on the river, firecrackers are set off, and processions of adorned deities are carried through Varanasi.
Due to the importance and rising sociocultural appeal of this festival, it is now widely observed in neighbouring districts like Mirzapur.
People travel from all over the world to see the famous festival known as “Dev Deepawali,” which is also a significant tourist attraction. The Dev Deepawali festival will be observed on November 7 this year.
State ministers Ravindra Jaiswal, Dayashankar Mishra Dayalu and MLA Saurabh Srivastava along with the divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma, municipal commissioner Pranay Singh and other officers have inspected the entire riverfront.
The work of removing the silt deposited on the steps of the ghat due to floods is being done on a war footing by the Varanasi Municipal Corporation.
“But since it is not possible to completely remove the silt from the Ghats till Dev Deepawali, it has been decided that wherever suitable space is available, a wide drain should be made in the soil near the stairs and connected with the water of the Ganga to bring the water of Ganga near the steps of the ghat, and make it accessible for worship and ‘deepdaan’,” said an official.
To boost this event, Ganesh Vanare has announced a photowalk in Banaras on the occasion of Dev Deepawali. Many tourists and photographers are participating in this grand event. Ganesh Vanare is a famous Indian photographer and social media personality who specializes in street, lifestyle, travel, portrait and technology images.
