Diyas symbolise goodness and purity, and lighting them denotes dispelling darkness and going into light.
Diwali is here and it marks a special time of celebrations, fun and fervour. While people will be wearing new outfits, buying lanterns and buying other decor for the home, a big part of the Festival of Lights is lighting diyas or earthen lamps. In every home, these tiny lamps are lit right from the run-up to the festival. But do you know what they signify? Diyas symbolise goodness and purity, and lighting them denotes dispelling darkness and going into light. And since Deepavali is celebrated on the new moon day, a time of darkness everywhere; light these lamps are a means to get rid of darkness. Lighting the lamps also denotes dispelling angerm greed and other vices. The lamps also stand for good luck. The traditional diyas were lit using ghee (clarified butter) but today people also commonly use oil. The lore goes that as per Indian tradition, the little diyas are bought on Ashwin Purnima, which is a full moon day, which is about two weeks prior to Diwali. Then diyas are soaked in water so as to make them ready for the Diwali pooja. A major festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindu community in India and around the world, Diwali marks the victory of good over evil, and the elimination of darkness by illuminating with positivity. Hindus believe that many years ago, on this day, Lord Rama — an incarnation of Lord Vishnu — had returned to his kingdom of Ayodhya as the rightful heir to the throne after spending 14 years in exile and defeating the forces of King Ravana of Lanka in a fierce battle. Upon his return, the people of Ayodhya had welcomed him by lighting up their homes along with the path to the palace and the rest of the kingdom. The word ‘Deepavali’, in fact, has ‘deep’ in it, which is another name for ‘diya’. In the days leading up to the festival, which is celebrated with a lot of fervour, the sale of diyas increases. Not a lot of people know that Duttapukur in West Bengal — also known as Nebhadai Duttapukur — in the North 24 Parganas district is where clay lamps and earthen diyas are produced on a large scale.
Writer Anshumala Das