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• Diwali — Festival of Lights.
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Diwali or Deepavali, Divali – One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali symbolizes the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance”.
In the lead-up to Diwali, celebrants will prepare by cleaning, renovating, and decorating their homes and workplaces with diyas (oil lamps) and rangolis (colorful art circle patterns). The five-day long festival originated in the Indian subcontinent and is mentioned in early Sanskrit texts. The main day of the festival of Diwali (the day of Lakshmi Puja).
⇒ Also сheck оut мore info: Diwali 2022: India celebrates the festival with a dazzling display of lights (www.bbc.com)
Diwali is usually celebrated twenty days after the *Vijayadashami (Dussehra, Dasara, Dasain) festival, with Dhanteras, or the regional equivalent, marking the first day of the festival when celebrants prepare by cleaning their homes and making decorations on the floor, such as rangolis. The second day is *Naraka Chaturdashi.
The third day is the day of *Lakshmi Puja and the darkest night of the traditional month. In some parts of India, the day after Lakshmi Puja is marked with the Govardhan Puja and *Balipratipada (Padwa). Some Hindu communities mark the last day as Bhai Dooj or the regional equivalent, which is dedicated to the bond between sister and brother, while other Hindu and Sikh craftsmen communities mark this day as *Vishwakarma Puja and observe it by performing maintenance in their work spaces and offering prayers.
The darkest night is the apex of the celebration and coincides with the second half of October or early November in the Gregorian calendar.
There’s no contest: Mumbai looks its best and brightest during Diwali. Lanterns, fairy lights, lamps and everything that glows and shines is on every other window and ledge in the city. Drive through Juhu, past pretty homes of pretty people; down Bandra, unusually empty but all lit up; over the sea-link for a view of the twinkling shoreline and down to the island city, where the CST building will wear its Diwali colours. For a more serene experience, head to Banganaga tank, which comes alive with hundreds of tiny floating lamps.
Some of the most spectacular display of fireworks takes place at Marine Drive and Charni Road. From rockets to sky lanterns, it’s all happening here. Park yourself anywhere along the stretch for a seat to this brilliant display. Or book yourself a table at one of the many sea-facing restaurants and bars along the stretch and watch the Queen’s Necklace sparkle brighter than ever. Up north, Worli Seaface and Shivaji Park also pack some serious pyrotechnics.
#1 Visit Varanasi
The most sacred city in Hinduism, Jainism, and important in the history of Buddhism, Varanasi is India’s most important pilgrimage destination.
• Public transport.
Information about all types of public transport.
YATRA.COM – Book Flights, Hotels, Trains, Buses, Cruise and Holiday Packages.
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (known as BEST) provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all places of the city and the suburbs.
BEST has launched its app “BEST Prawas” for Android, which contains features like live tracking of buses and ETA of buses.
BUS: Redbus • Travelyaari • Buskiraya • myticketbuddy. Reliable carriers: Raj National Express • KPN Travels. While you can’t take a cross-country bus ride across India, buses are the second most-popular way of travelling across states and the only cheap way of reaching many places not on the rail network (e.g. Dharamsala)
TRAIN: irctc.co.in ⇒ Railways were introduced in India in 1853, more than one and half a century ago by the British, and today India boasts of the biggest network of railway lines in the world, and the rail system is very efficient, if rarely on schedule.
The Konkan Railway (which is a separately administered and newly built line) travels through the picturesque Konkan coast of Maharastra and is a good way to travel from *Goa (map) and *Mangalore (map), coastal resort areas to the South.
*Mumbai Suburban Railway (Central Railway • Western Railway)
AIRPORT: Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport • Indira Gandhi Airport • Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Airport • Dabolim Airport. Domestic flights, the main operators are: Air India (Discover India) • Air India Express • Air Asia India • IndiGo • Go First • SpiceJet • Vistara.
This is Diwali in India?!
We were in Mumbai, India for Diwali (2022) and were totally shocked by this festival! We tried to research what to do in Mumbai for Diwali and had such a hard time figuring out where we should go for the best experience of this very important celebration. Some Mumbaikars suggested we visit Marine Drive and Shivaji Park for Diwali, and these suggestions turned out to be incredible!
⇒ video source: Nicole and Mico / youtube.com /
• Useful websites.
Links to additional resources with useful information for planning your trip.