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.
Golden Temple is draped in lights as well as the entire complex
Hundreds of thousands of candles are lit as part of the festival.
Some pilgrims sit in deep meditation alongside the holy tank
