Diwali

Part of planning my trip to India revolved around Diwali. If I was going to be in India in October, I wanted to make sure that I'd stay long enough to witness the celebration of this holy festival. Diwali - the festival of lights - is named so because of the practice of lighting diya's (lamps) to welcome Lakshmi, goddess of wealth into one's home. Celebrations include fireworks and the exchange of sweets. Fireworks and sweets - two of my favourite things!

During my stay at Ananda, I decided that I would hire a driver to take me to Rishikesh for a night to witness an evening Aarti ceremony on the holy river Ganges. But because of the timing, I decided to do this the night of the Diwali celebrations and I could not have picked a better night.

I had a driver pick me up in the late afternoon and take me down the mountain into Rishikesh. We parked and walked through the city, admiring the Ganges which flows through the centre. A narrow suspension bridge connects the two sides of town and is filled with people, bicycles and, of course, cows. The late afternoon sun was beautiful and I managed to snag a few pretty photos.

I arrive at the Parmath Niketan Ashram on the banks of the river just in time to grab a seat on the steps with a great view of the Aarti ceremony festivities. The ceremony - which lasted an almost two hours over the setting of the sun - kicked off with a ceremonial fire (called a Yagna), songs, prayers and chanting. All the while, I could see tiny lit candles and fresh flowers floating by on the river.

It was truly a special experience that can't be shared with words alone, so here are some of my favourite photos from the evening.