Dev Deepawali is a revered Indian festival that is significant for the Hindu community. This auspicious festival is around the corner, and devotees are getting ready to celebrate it with great fanfare. This year, Dev Deepawali will be celebrated on Sunday, November 26. This grand festival, also known as Dev Diwali, is organised every year in the holy city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Dev Deepawali falls on the same day as Kartik Purnima, and the celebrations begin on the Ekadashi tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha and end on the fifth day, which is the Kartik Purnima tithi (full moon night). Lord Shiva’s triumph over the demon Tripurasura is commemorated on this special day. As a result, the Utsav is often referred to as Tripurotsav or Tripurari Purnima.
Dev Deepawali 2023: Date And Timings
According to Drikpanchang, the Pradoshakal Dev Deepavali Muhurat is from 5:08 PM to 7:47 PM on November 26, 2023. The total duration of the muhurat is 2 hours and 39 minutes. Meanwhile, the Purnima Tithi begins on November 26 at 3:53 PM and ends on November 27 at 2:45 PM.
Why Is Dev Diwali Celebrated In Varanasi?
Dev Diwali commemorate the victory of Lord Shiva over the demon Tripurasura. The city of Varanasi holds a special significance for this festival as it is believed that the gods descend to Earth to bathe in the holy Ganges River on this auspicious occasion.
The celebration of Dev Diwali in Varanasi is deeply rooted in the city’s spiritual and cultural heritage. It symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, the divinity of light over darkness, and the sacred connection between humanity and the divine.
Dev Deepawali 2023: Celebrations
On the auspicious day of Kartik Purnima, devotees take a holy bath in the river Ganga and light earthen lamps, or diyas on Dev Deepawali. When evening falls, millions of earthen lamps illuminate the stairs of all the ghats along the Ganga riverbank. Not just the Ganga ghats, but all of Varanasi’s temples are illuminated by millions of diyas.
Dev Deepawali 2023: History and Significance
As per Hindu mythology, demon Tarakasura had three sons – Vidyunmali, Tarakaksha, and Kamalaksha, who were called Tripurasura.
Tripurasura pleased Lord Brahma with their penance and requested immortality. However, Lord Brahma bestowed upon them the blessing that they could only be slain with a single arrow.
Tripurasura unleashed havoc and caused massive destruction soon after getting the blessings. To overcome them, Lord Shiva assumed the form of Tripurari or Tripurantaka and slaughtered them all with a single arrow. To commemorate this triumph, the gods and goddesses descended on Varanasi and lit millions of diyas, devotees believe.
This sacred festival is known as Dev Deepawali because the gods celebrated Diwali on this day after Lord Shiva overpowered the demon Tripurasura. On Dev Deepawali, devotees wake up early to bathe in the sacred water of the Ganga, light diyas in the evening, and worship Lord Shiva.
According to reports, some people also observe Dev Diwali as the birth anniversary of Lord Karthik, the God of War, and the day Lord Vishnu took his first incarnation as “Matsya.”
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