Dev Diwali (Deepawali) in Varanasi

Dev Diwali (Deepawali) in Varanasi

Dev Diwali is one of the famous festivals of Hindu which is celebrated in Benares on the occasion of Kartik Poornima and starts by holy Vedic mantras chanted by priests to please and welcome the God, sparkling fire crackers and a bunch of Diyas at the ghats.

At this occasion each and every ghat of the Ganges is packed with the great crowd of pilgrims and diyas (earthen ware). The pilgrims and devotees offer 'diyas' showing their reverence for the Ganges, worshiped by the Hindus as mother. Thousands of diyas (also known as earthen lamps) put into the holy water of the Ganges for their gods according to their rituals beliefs create a mesmerizing spectacle.

Dev Diwali 2013 will be celebrated on Sunday, at 17th November 2013. The main rituals performed by the devotees consist of Kartik Snan (taking a holy bath in the Ganges during Kartika) and Deepdan (offering of oil lighted lamps) to Ganga in the evening. The Ganga aarti is also performed in the evening.

Ganga Mahotsav is a tourist-centric festival in Varanasi which is celebrated for five days every year starting from Prabodhani Ekadashi to Kartik Poornima during the month of October–November. It showcases the rich cultural heritage of Varanasi. The festival, with a message of faith and culture, covers popular cultural programmeslike classical music, a country boat race, daily Shilpa Mela, displays of sculptures, displays of marital arts, and on the final day Poornima (full moon) which coincides with the traditional Dev Deepawali (light festival of the gods). The ghats on the Ganga River glitter with more than a million lit earthen lamps.

On occasion of Ganga Mahotsav and dev Dipawali all hotels are full, so please reconfirm your hotel reservation. 

North India Tourism

The reasons to visit north India are many. Except sea beaches and lagoons, you happen to discover almost all sorts of topographies and hence evolved diversities. North India is studded with most revered Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain pilgrimages. Being guarded by the Himalayas, north India is endowed with rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Sutlej, Vyas, Gomti and Brahmaputra. Delhi, the capital of India, has been arena of political and military upheavals. Being birth place of Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Mahavir and holy sages, north India represents gist of cultural India.

North India tours stun a the visitors by showcasing Yoga & Ayurveda in Rishikesh, religious and spiritual rituals in Varanasi, sexual bliss sculpted on temple walls in Khajuraho, Taj Mahal as epitome of love in Agra, forts and palaces all around in Rajasthan, wildlife diversity in Ranthambhore and Corbett National Parks and Buddhist monasteries in Dharmashala and Ladakh. And Delhi probably emerges as the capital which is most endowed with cultural heritage and monuments of olden days.

As North India is having lot many exotic tourist destinations, Indian tour operators offer many North India package tours to cater to different niches catering to differing requirements and proclivity of the travellers. Rajasthan tour packages cater to the demand of the travellers who want see sturdy, gargantuan and royal monuments like forts and palaces. Customized Rajasthan tours also cater to specific wish-lists of the traveller like desert safari in Jaisalmer, camel ride in Bikaner, tiger safari in Ranthambhore, village safari into Bishnoi villages in Jodhpur etc.

Similarly, Taj Mahal has the distinction of most visited single monument of India. Most of the tourists visiting North India, do visit Taj Mahal in Agra. But many a times, a business traveller with paucity of time wants to see Taj Mahal during his India stay. Keeping in view the time constraints and eagerness to see Taj Mahal once while in India, Indian tour operators have on offer ‘one day Taj Mahal tour, also called as ‘day tour to Agra’ and ‘same day Taj Mahal Tour’.    

  

Likewise, tailor-made tours for Varanasi, Khajuraho, Golden Triangle, Leh Ladakh etc are also on offer.