Best Location for Diwali Celebration in India – Amritsar

November 6, 2013 • Hinduism, Photography & Travel

Blog Image

Diwali or Deepavali is celebrated by Hindus worldwide and many of these celebrations are a collage of color, lights, music and food. This year Diwali took place on November 2nd. The best place I’ve seen Diwali celebrated is in Amritsar, India. The Golden Temple in Amritsar, North India, is the holy ground for Sikhs worldwide and there is no greater celebration of Diwali than here.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gather for a spectacular night of celebration. The night kicks of with a wonderful display of fireworks best seen from the roof tops of surrounding buildings. Within the temple complex pilgrims are lighting thousands of candles around the holy pond and many brave the chilly weather and take a dip in the pond as well. The temple feeds thousands of people each day and Diwali is no exception. The massive feeding hall is filled with pilgrims and the kitchen is churning out chapatis faster than you can say “chapati”.

I’ve had the great pleasure of witnessing Diwali here twice and it is my favorite place to be during this festival. Here are some photos from the two times that I was there for the festival in recent years. If you ever get the chance go to Amritsar for Diwali. You won’t regret it!

The entire complex is lit up and the festivities begin a 30 min display of fireworks.

The entire complex is lit up and the festivities begin a 30 min display of fireworks.

Golden Temple is draped in lights as well as the entire complex

Golden Temple is draped in lights as well as the entire complex

amritsar-diwali-festival-of-lights

amritsar-diwali-celebrations-india

diwali-festival-lights-amritsar

Hundreds of thousands of candles are lit as part of the festival.

Hundreds of thousands of candles are lit as part of the festival.

diwali-festival-amritsar-golden-temple

Some pilgrims sit in deep meditation alongside the holy tank

Some pilgrims sit in deep meditation alongside the holy tank

Blog Image
Joyous Children

Today I thought I’d share some images that I photographed of smiling and laughing children during my many travels to India. These pictures remind me of my favorite quote from my guru, Gurudeva Subramuniyaswami: “Life is meant to be lived joyously.” Whether you are going through a challenging time...

Read More
Blog Image
The Colored Sand Makers of Tamil Nadu

It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of my photography posts. As many of you know I am passionate about photography. During a recent trip to South India in December last year I drove past a small village in Tamil Nadu, South India, where it looked like the main industry here was making…

Read More
Blog Image
My Visit to Seoul

I recently posted about giving a keynote at the 2017 World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, South Korea. Once that event concluded, I spent a couple extra days exploring this wonderful city. I’m particularly drawn to historical sites and spent most of my time exploring a few of the main palaces wi...

Read More
Blog Image
Happy Diwali 2017

Diwali or Deepavali is the Hindu Festival of Lights and it celebrates the victory of light over darkness. It is a day of Hindu solidarity. Hindus all over the world celebrate this festival and it is a joyous time for families. Families and friends get together, gifts are exchanged, new clothes ar...

Read More
FREE Weekly Insights
Sign Up for my newsletter and receive insights, teachings and spiritual tools for living a life of purpose and joy.
Subscribe
We promise not to sell your email address to other monks, priests, religious organizations, angels, God or the Devil.
By checking this box you agree to our privacy policy and, terms and conditions.
FREE Weekly Insights
Sign Up for my newsletter and receive insights, teachings and spiritual tools for living a life of purpose and joy.
By checking this box you agree to our privacy policy and, terms and conditions.
Subscribe
We promise not to sell your email address to other monks, priests, religious organizations, angels, God or the Devil.