Adorned with dazzling and vibrant lights across the city, Kolkata has geared up for Diwali and Kali Puja celebrations with bustling markets filled with shoppers buying sweets, diyas, decorations, and festive clothing.
On the occasion of Kali Puja, Kolkata's Park Street has been decorated with LED lights. Kali Puja is a very significant festival for Hindus, especially in the state of West Bengal. Preparations are in full swing in Bengal, and it's truly a pleasure to witness Kolkata celebrating the Festival of Lights in a vibrant manner. This celebration centers around the worship of Shakti, or Goddess Kali, symbolizing the triumph of Good over Evil. Also referred to as Shyama Puja, as Goddess Kali is often known as Shyama, signifying black or dark, the festival is also observed in Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, and certain regions of Maharashtra.The festival signifies the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance." Local markets are experiencing high foot traffic as people shop for festive items like sweets (mithai), diyas, rangoli materials, new clothes, and gifts. Popular Bengali sweets like rasgulla, Sandesh, and Mishti doi are in high demand during Diwali. Across India, the cities are all decked up for Diwali celebrations. People from across the country have decorated their houses with colorful lights, rangolis, and flowers to celebrate the festival of joy. Meanwhile, Ayodhya made history during the 'Deepotsav-2024' celebrations on Wednesday evening by setting two Guinness World Records. The Ayodhya district administration, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh, illuminated the Saryu River with over 25 lakh diya, marking the largest display of oil lamps ever recorded. Another record was made for the most people performing 'diya' rotation simultaneously. Diwali is observed on Amavasya (or the new moon), the 15th day of the month of Kartik, every year. (ANI)
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