Faith, lamps and joy: How India woke up to the spirit of Diwali

Diwali day began across India with the clanging of temple bells, devotional hymns, and large gatherings of devotees.

At Katra, the base camp for the Vaishno Devi shrine, thousands of pilgrims thronged the temple, eager to offer prayers to Mata Rani and mark a blessed Diwali and the new year.

Abhinandan Pandey, a devotee, says that "We have left our homes to celebrate Diwali at the durbar of Mata Rani. Here, we will light lamps and celebrate with joy. And being here makes us feel very good."

Meanwhile, another devotee says, "We have come from Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to have a darshan of Vaishno Mata on the occasion of Deepawali. This is a highly sacred opportunity for us, as we had wished to celebrate this Diwali at the feet of the Mother (Vaishno Devi).’’

According to Nisha,another believer, "We are a group of 50 people. We have come here as part of one team. Usually, we all celebrate Diwali at home, but this time we decided to celebrate it in the durbar of Mata Rani."

Similar devotional fervour reverberated at Kolkata's Dakshineswar Kali Temple, located thousands of kilometres away in the East. Amidst the early morning aartis, devotees offered flowers, incense, and prayers to Goddess Kali.

In West Bengal, Odisha, and some other eastern states, the day is observed as Kali Puja.

Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, commemorates the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. Across different regions and traditions, it continues to be one of India’s most cherished festivals.