Table of Contents
A brief introduction
Dev Deepawali is a Hindu festival of light that takes place fifteen days after Deepawali, primarily in the Hindu pilgrimage city of Varanasi (Kashi). The festival is also known as Tripuri Purnima or Tripurari Purnima, and it is observed by both Sikhs and Jains. Varanasi is India’s holiest city and a major Hindu pilgrimage destination. As the name implies, “Dev Deepawali” refers to the Deepawali of Gods (Devs). Hindus believe that Gods descend from heaven on this day to celebrate Deepawali in Varanasi and bathe in the Ganges’ holy water. In Varanasi, Dev Deepawali is celebrated as a five-day festival with pomp and display, culminating in the main celebration on Kartik Purnima.
In 2021, when is Dev Deepawali?
In 2021, Dev Deepawali will be observed on Thursday, November 18th. During the Purnima Tithi, it is auspicious to light diyas and perform other religious rituals. The Purnima Tithi starts at 18:01 p.m. on November 18th and ends at 19:04 p.m. on November 18th, 2021.
When does Dev Deepawali take place?
Dev Deepawali is a fifteen-day festival that follows the Diwali (Deepawali) festival. It occurs on a Purnima (full moon day) in the Hindu month of Kartik, the seventh month of the Hindu calendar. Though Diwali is observed on a new moon day, Dev Diwali is observed on a full moon day a fortnight later. According to the Gregorian calendar, the festival takes place in November and December.
The celebrations begin on Prabodhini Ekadashi, the 11th day of Kartik month, and end on Kartik Purnima, the 15th day of Kartik month.
Dev Deepawali is a Hindu festival that commemorates the birth of Lord Varanasi is a city in India.
Varanasi, the holy city, celebrates Dev Deepawali in grand style.
Tourists flock to the festival in droves, sometimes planning their vacations around it. The festival’s grandeur can be gauged by the fact that nearly all of Varanasi’s hotels are booked solid during the festival month.
The city becomes a hive of activity as visitors arrive from all over India and the world.
The city gets into the festival spirit well ahead of time, with visitors arriving shortly after Diwali.
Days before the main festival, the Ghats and nearby buildings are decorated. The ghats host a variety of events during the festival’s five days, from Ekadashi to Purnima.
Classical music, poetry, classical dance, and various other forms of entertainment events are among the activities.
The ghats (river banks) of Varanasi are the main attraction on the last day.
Varanasi’s 88 ghats are illuminated by millions of fixed and floating lamps, with colourful lights and oil lamps adorning the buildings along the ghats.
Tourists who have seen the view have described it as mesmerising and breathtaking. Flowers and colourful rangolis are also put on the ghats. Volunteers also create floral paintings to add to the charm.
The remembrance of martyrs at Amar Javan Jyoti, Dashashwamedh Ghat, is another big attraction of the day. In the midst of songs of patriotism and nationalism, citizens and officials present floral wreaths to the martyrs.
The three armed forces also conduct the conventional last message. The families and dependents of martyrs are also given Bhagirathi Shaurya Samman by Maa Ganga Sewa Nidhi.
Thousands of locals and visitors hire boats to see the ghats and nearby buildings in all their glory. For the tourists, the government often makes extensive security arrangements.
Though the aarti (veneration) of Lord Shiva is performed at Dashashwamedh Ghat every evening, it is particularly mesmerising on the evening of Dev Deepawali, with the sparkling ghats in the background.
Hindu Dev Deepawali Rituals
On Dev Diwali, devotees begin their day by taking a Kartik Snan (bathing) in the Ganges’ holy water. Devotees visit Kashi Vishwanath temple after bathing in holy water to bathe their revered lord Shiva in Ganges water.
On Dev Diwali, Shiva and Ganesha are the two deities most worshipped. Many devotees were seen venerating mud Shivlingas that they had created themselves. On Dev Diwali, several households conduct Sundar Kand Path to welcome the Gods.
Flowers and decorative lights are used to decorate people’s homes. At the entrances of houses, colorful rangolis are made. During the auspicious time of Purnima Tithi, when the Gods are believed to sink into the holy river, devotees visit the Ganges ghats in the evening to light diyas (oil lamps).
Kartik Purnima’s Importance in Jainism
Jains visit Palitana, a pilgrimage city in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district, to commemorate Kartik Purnima. Adinatha, the first of the Jain Tirthankaras, is said to have meditated here.
On Kartik Purnima, an auspicious day to begin the auspicious journey to the Lord Adinath temple at the top of the hill, thousands of Jain devotees flock to Shatrunjay Hills. Sri Shatrunjay Teerth Yatra is the name of the yatra (journey) that leads to the temple through rough mountainous terrain.
During the Chaturmas, the temple was closed to devotees, but on Kartik Purnima, it was reopened to them. Many ascetics have attained salvation on the hills, according to Jains. Adinatha preached his first sermon on the hills, and many ascetics have attained salvation on the hills
Legend of Dev Deepawali
Tripurari Purnima is one of the festival’s names, which is derived from the demon Tripurasur. Tripurasur is the name given to the demon Tarkasur’s three sons. For thousands of years, Tarkasur’s three sons – Vidyunmali, Tarakaksha, and Viryavana – meditated and worshipped Lord Brahma.
Brahma bestowed upon them the gift of indestructible forts in heaven, moon, and earth, respectively. Every thousand years, the forts were to meet and could only be defeated by a single arrow. Tripura was the name given to this combined fort.
After receiving the boon of near-immortality, the demons started to thrive in heaven, sky, and hell. The Gods were concerned, and Shiva was summoned to help. Shiva, on the other hand, refused, claiming that the demons had done nothing to deserve his wrath.
The Gods then confronted Vishnu, who said that the only way to destroy the demons was for them to sin and invoke Shiva’s wrath.
Vishnu produced an ascetic-looking man with a shaved head. He gave the man orders to travel to Tripura and preach a new religion.
The demons were converted and stopped worshipping Shiv Linga after being impressed by the new preacher and his teachings.
This was enough to enrage Shiva, who killed the demons and destroyed the forts just as they were about to collide. This is thought to have happened on Kartik Purnima, which Hindus celebrate as Dev Diwali.
Hindus believe that on this day, the Gods descended to Kashi to light diyas to commemorate Lord Shiva’s victory over Tripura and the killing of Tripurari.
Jains claim that the bald-headed religious preacher founded by Vishnu to teach a new religion was none other than Adinath, Jainism’s first Tirthankara, who preached his first sermons on the Shatrunjay Hills in Bhavnagar, Gujarat.
History of Dev Deepawali
Every year on Kartik Purnima, Dev Deepawali is observed. Despite the fact that the tradition of lighting earthen diyas on Kartik Purnima has been reverently practised for centuries, it was abandoned due to a lack of funds.
However, the tradition reappeared, almost unexpectedly, in 1985 at Panchganga Ghat. Since then, the festival has grown in popularity, spreading from ghat to ghat and eventually becoming a national event.
The Importance of Dev Deepawali
Dev Diwali is a major Hindu festival observed with religious reverence by Hindus across India, not only in Varanasi. The day is considered auspicious by devotees, who believe that honoring their respected deities on this day would grant their wishes.
The day also represents the defeat of evil (Tripurasur) and the victory of good (Shiva).
The festival is also significant for the tourism industry and other related businesses. The large influx of visitors creates numerous job openings for the unemployed and boosts existing businesses.
During the festival, tourism-based companies make more money than they will in a year. During the festival, hotels, lodges, small stalls, boatmen, and even auto drivers make a lot of money.
The manner in which the festival is observed provides insight into Indian culture and religion. Many cultural programs are focused on faith, music, poetry, and other factors. It gives new talents a voice by letting people know about their abilities.
Kartik Purnima, the day on which Dev Diwali is celebrated, is also an auspicious day for Sikhs and Jains. It is considered by Jains to be the best day to visit one of their most revered pilgrimage sites, Lord Adinath Temple, located on the Shatrunjay hills in Palitana, Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district. On Kartik Purnima, Sikhs commemorate the birth of their first and most revered Guru, Guru Nanak Dev.