HistoriCity | How Deepavali evolved over time and region

Almost every religion present in the Indian subcontinent has its own version of Deepavali. The diversity of Deepavali mirrors the diversity of the subcontinent

Deepavali has been acknowledged on the UNESCO intangible cultural list along with customs, and dishes such as Egypt’s national dish Koshary, Yodelling from Switzerland, Iceland’s Swimming Pool culture and several other festivals and practices from across the world. Spanning the entire Indian subcontinent and beyond, this festival of lights has evolved over millennia and defied homogeneity.

Deepavali has evolved over millennia and defied homogeneity. (Representational image)

Deepavali marks the return of the victorious Ram and his consort Sita and his brother Lakshman after vanquishing Ravan the king of Lanka and rescuing Sita who had been abducted by Ravan to avenge his sister. This is the most common and most popular origin story of this festival that means a celebration with lamps.

The return of a triumphant king who had been wrongly exiled by his father, denied his rightful claim to the throne of Ayodhya and, who then had to create a rainbow coalition of disparate tribal groups, and take on the much more powerful kingdom of Lanka. Most recensions of the epic tale also portray Ram as righteous and kind. In common Hindu consciousness, therefore, Ram and Sita as well as Lakshman, all symbolise an ideal– Ram is the perfect son, prince, husband and king, Sita the ideal wife and Lakshman the protective and loyal brother who defers to his older brother unconditionally.

Ramayana and its epic characters from Shabari, Hanuman, Sugriv, Jamvat and Kumbhkaran, Meghnad and Vibhishan, to the unnamed squirrels, bears and other animals - all have come to occupy the Hindu imagination like no other epic.

Deepavali has evolved over time and region

Beginning from Ayodhya it transformed into a festival that today marks the primary day for the worship of Lakshmi the goddess of wealth, Ganesha and others. According to the Sri Sukta of the Vedas, Lakshmi is not just a symbol of wealth, the goddess also signifies right conduct and good conduct. The coming together of Vaishnav Lakshmi (she is the consort of Vishnu) and Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati also shows how sectarian movements converged on Deepavali. Therefore, as Deepavali is worshipped for the last five centuries, it represents balance between Ram’s ideal and wealth creation. It is also a sectarian balance between Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism, and to a limited extent Vajrayana Buddhism.

Almost every religion present in the subcontinent has its own version of Deepavali. The Jains mark the day as the final liberation of Mahavir, the Sikhs celebrate it as the day their 6th Guru Hargovind was released from a Mughal prison in 1619. The diversity of Deepavali and the ways it is celebrated mirrors the diversity of the Indian subcontinent.

The five-day celebration begins with Dhanteras, which also marks a new moon in the months of October or November. In the eastern regions as well as parts of south India it is observed as the day the demon Narakasura was slain by Krishna. In Nepal it is known as Tihar to Hindus and Swanti to Buddhists whereas in Sri Lanka the festival is called Deepaotsava, which is one of the oldest recorded names of this festival.

In the 11th century, Moroccan traveller Al Biruni, while visiting the court of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, recorded the legend of Vasudeva (another name of Krishna) slaying the demon. A 16th century description from the Vijayanagar kingdom by a Portuguese traveller tells us that householders lit up their homes with lamps, and temples were cleaned and decorated with lamps as well.

A Rashtrakuta king, Krishna III, who reigned between 939 CE and 967 CE has left an inscription that commemorates ‘Dipotsava’. Another inscription made by Jain merchants and discovered in Dharwad tells us about offering oil to Jinendra on the occasion of Diwali. In the ensuing centuries several inscriptions were issued across the country to commemorate the festival.

Diwali’s Splendour during Mughal Rule

The Mughals perfected the art of alliance making with Hindu kings be it in Rajasthan or other parts of the country. Through marital alliances they consolidated their rule and also included the customs of Hindus as part of state making and state processes. By the time of emperor Akbar, who was born of a Hindu mother, Diwali celebrations had become the norm. Akbar, like his father and several other rulers before the Mughal, had Hindus in prominent positions in their administration. Akbar had his Birbal, and Deepavali had pride of place second only to the Persian Islamic festival of Navroz.

Abuz Fazal writes in Akbar’s chronicle, Ain—e-Akbari, “he wanted to understand the religion so he could rule better. And festivals were a joyous way to know that.”

By the time Shah Jahan became emperor in 1628 Mughal power was reaching its zenith. He spared no expense when it came to monuments, pageantry and celebrations. He further integrated Navroz’s customs such as elaborate feasts into Diwali festivities and according to tradition started the custom of the ‘Chappan Thal’ – gifts and sweets from 56 big and small feudatories.

This incorporation of Diwali assured his Hindu subjects that at least the king was above narrow communalism. Shah Jahan used to personally and ritually examine the expensive silver and gold covered delicacies before they were distributed to his household and his closest confidants. Firecrackers had come into fashion sometime during the 17th century and both Shab-e- Baraat and Diwali saw extensive use.

Aurangzeb’s reign saw the curtailing of liberality in general and the extravagance of Shah Jahan was scorned at by the stern-faced son who instead projected himself in contrasting terms as an austere fakir. Diwali celebrations continued at the court but in much muted form. Although when Muhammad Shah ‘Rangeela’, became the emperor in 1719 he revived to some extent the opulence of his forefather Shah Jahan. Historian R Nath writes about a particularly interesting tradition that was instituted during Mughal rule.

He writes in the Private life of the Mughals, “At noon of the day when the sun entered the 19th degree of Aries, and the heat was the maximum, the (royal) servants exposed the sun’s rays to a round piece of shining stone (Surajkrant). A piece of cotton was then held near it, which caught fire from the heat of the stone. This celestial fire was preserved in a vessel called Agingir (fire-pot) and committed to the care of an officer”. On Diwali, this practice became even more extravagant: a 40-ft-high pole was erected with the help of ropes, and a giant lamp was placed, fueled by massive amounts of cotton-seed oil. The lamp’s light illuminated Chandni Chowk, which was already aglow with lights lit by the affluent Hindu merchants of the day.