Maya Bhadauria
The timing of Diwali is different in the country. Why not? Months in advance, the preparations can be seen from street to street in the city or village, how amazing! The lights of the river, the bazaar shining with lights, the abundance of rangoli and lamps… but… but… in such a pompous country, will there be any difference that there is no pomp and circumstance of Diwali in some places? To answer this question, you have to reach every corner of the country.
Diwali became sad after the death of King Mahabali People of Kerala believe that their great king Mahabali died on the day of Diwali itself. King Mahabali is revered by Keralites, hence Onam is celebrated in his memory, but Diwali is a symbol of mourning for him. Another reason is that apart from Hinduism, Kerala has a large population of Christians and Muslims. So even in that way, the enthusiasm of Diwali is not seen. The third reason is seasonality. In Kerala, there is more rain in the month of October-November. So there is difficulty in bursting firecrackers and lighting lamps. .
Victory of Darkness Diwali is a celebration of the victory of light over darkness, but for the Mandyam Iyengars, Diwali brought perpetual darkness. Here the Black Fourteeners killed more than 800 men, women and children of the tyrant Tipu Sultan. So Diwali is not celebrated here.
We, the descendants of Ravana, the people of Bisrakh village in Uttar Pradesh believe that Ravana's father Rishi Vishrava established a Shivlinga in the village and Ravana was born here. That is how the people of Bisarakh consider Ravana as their ancestor. Diwali is also not celebrated here as Ravana Dahan is not burnt on Dussehra day. According to him, he does not want to insult his ancestor Ravana by celebrating Diwali.
If we celebrate Diwali, we will be bad. There is a village Ponnanapalem in Srikakulam city of Andhra Pradesh. Years ago, a child died of snakebite on Diwali days. Also, two bulls also lost their lives on the day of Diwali. Therefore, the leaders of Ponnanapalem village banned the celebration of Diwali, thinking that the celebration of Diwali caused death. However, years later in 2006, a retired teacher resident of the same village decided to break this tradition and celebrate Diwali with his family, but when he died a few years later due to illness, the belief was rekindled among the villagers.
Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh and its Baijnath village do not want to suffer the wrath of the goddess. The Baijanathavas see Ravana as a great devotee of Shiva. According to the belief of the local people, Ravana offered 10 of his heads to Shivaji after doing austere penance in this village. Lord Shiva blessed Ravana. So the villagers believe that if they celebrate Diwali, Kangra Devi will turn on them.
Bats are our gods The people of Thoppupatti and Sampatti villages in Trichy, Tamil Nadu do not burst firecrackers as they do not disturb the bats. These villages have been inhabited by bats for decades on the branches of the sacred wadla. The people of this village also traditionally worship him as a deity.
Ravana's Hara is about 9 km from Jodhpur railway station in Rajasthan which is sad for us. Not far away is the historic town of Mandor. Ravana's wife Mandodari was from Mandor and thus Ravana became his son-in-law. A temple on Mehrangarh Fort Road in Jodhpur also has an idol of Ravana and Mandodari. They believe that by worshiping Ravana we should get good qualities from him. Ravana's defeat means the defeat of our son-in-law and if we celebrate it, it is wrong. For this reason people here do not celebrate Diwali. What if all these places in India do not have lights in the name of Diwali, most of the cities and villages of India celebrate Diwali with enthusiasm.
Kali Chaudas is celebrated on Aso Vad Chaudas, a day before Bhoot Chaudas and Tantravidya Diwali. Thus Kali Chaudhas is also called Narak Chaudhas or Chhoti Diwali. In Bengal it is called Roop Chaudas or Bhoot Chaudas. Mahakali Ma is worshiped on this day in Bengal, because on this day Mother killed Narakasura.
The religious tradition is to light a lamp in front of Bhoot Chaudse Yamaraj. At the same time, people who learn Tantra Vidya do Jatbhata remedies at night. It is also believed that on the night of Bhoot Chaudhas, tantrics invoke ghosts with Tantra Sadhana. At night the influence of evil spirits is more visible and to ward off these evil spirits people who learn Tantra Vidya light 14 lamps. According to another belief, 14 ancestors of the same family come to earth to meet their living relatives. Many people light 14 lamps around the house and in dark corners to ward off spirits. On this day, mothers keep their children safe in the house by feeding them green leafy vegetables and performing other rituals.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
