India GODiwali: what a visitor sees and where to spend it
The night darkness surrenders
Diwali, the festival of lights, falls on the new moon of Kartik: in 2026 the main night is 8 November, inside five days from 6 to 11 November. It is the best-known festival in the Hindu calendar and, from the street, mostly a family one: shopping, lamps on every ledge, a puja at home and fireworks after it. Four places make it worth travelling for: Jaipur, Varanasi, Amritsar and the Braj country around Mathura.
Festival of Lights: the darkest night lit by a billion lamps
The Kartik new moon (Amavasya) in the evening. The central government's holiday list for the year, issued around July of the year before, confirms the day. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka sometimes keep the day before, Naraka Chaturdashi.
The legend
In the Ramayana, Prince Rama spends fourteen years in exile with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana.
The demon king Ravana carries Sita off to Lanka. Rama, with Hanuman and an army of monkeys, crosses over and defeats him.
Tradition says they reach home in Ayodhya on the darkest night of the month of Kartika, the new moon.
The people light thousands of oil lamps along the roads and on the rooftops to light their way.
Every autumn since, India lights its lamps: Diwali is the victory of light over darkness and good over evil.
Meaning
Bengal
The same night is Kali Puja: the fierce goddess is offered red hibiscus, and prayers go on until dawn.
Tamil Nadu
Deepavali comes a day early, on Naraka Chaturdashi: a pre-dawn oil bath marks Krishna's victory over the demon Narakasura.
Jains
On this night at Pawapuri, Mahavira attained moksha, final liberation, and the lamps are lit in his memory.
Sikhs
Bandi Chhor Divas: Guru Hargobind walks out of Gwalior Fort leading 52 captive princes, and the Golden Temple glows with lights.
Traders
For many trading families the new year starts at Diwali: new account books are blessed at the puja.
Customs
Diyas
Clay oil lamps line windowsills, balconies and rooftops: by dusk the whole city glows.
Rangoli
Patterns of coloured powder, rice flour and petals at the doorstep invite the goddess Lakshmi in.
Lakshmi Puja
On the main evening the family prays to Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, and to Ganesha; the puja lamp then lights every other lamp in the house.
🧹 Cleaning
Lakshmi is said to shun an untidy home: floors are scrubbed, walls whitewashed, new utensils bought.
🍬 Sweets
Boxes of mithai, sweets, go to neighbours, colleagues and friends.
🎆 Fireworks
After the puja the sky over the city flares with fireworks late into the night.
What people eat
🍯 Gulab jamun
milk-dough balls soaked in rose syrup
🟠 Laddoo
round sweets of gram flour, ghee and sugar
🌀 Jalebi
fried batter spirals soaked in syrup
Words of the festival
दीया
diya
a small clay oil lamp, the signature light of Diwali
रंगोली
rangoli
a doorstep pattern of coloured powder or petals
मिठाई
mithai
sweets, given by the box at Diwali
धनतेरस
Dhanteras
the first day, when people buy gold, silver and utensils
आरती
aarti
a ritual of light: a lamp is circled before the deity while hymns are sung
How to greet
शुभ दीपावली
Shubh Deepavali!
"Happy Deepavali": a greeting for neighbours, friends and the shopkeeper alike.
True or myth
❌ Myth. Jains remember Mahavira that night and Sikhs mark Guru Hargobind's return: each community has its own Diwali.
✅ True. Lakshmi is believed to visit homes that are lit and open.
❌ Myth. It follows the lunar calendar, the new moon of Kartika, so it moves between October and November.
Where to celebrate
Varanasi ⭐
On Diwali night Varanasi lights its aarti ghats and temple lanes while families keep the puja at home; the river of lamps people picture is Dev Deepawali, fifteen days later.
Jaipur ⭐
Jaipur's walled-city bazaars light their arcades and compete for the best display (Johari Bazaar won in 2025, Tripolia came second), and the evenings turn into a long walk under lights.
Mumbai
Mumbai's Diwali is lanterns and dawn music: paper akash kandils in windows, Diwali Pahat recitals at sunrise and a light display around Shivaji Park that runs for about ten days.
What Diwali looks like from the street
Diwali is the night darkness gives up, and it is also, for an outsider, a closed city with the lights on. The five days are largely domestic. Dhanteras opens them with shopping: gold, silver, new utensils, and bazaars at their fullest and brightest. Homes are scrubbed (Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, is said to avoid an untidy house), rangoli patterns of coloured powder and petals appear at doorsteps, and clay diyas go up on windowsills and rooftops.
On the main night families hold Lakshmi Puja at home and leave the doors open for the goddess. Then the fireworks start, and in many cities they go on late into the night. Next comes Govardhan Puja, usually the day after (in 2026 it moves a day later, because the new moon lasts into the next morning), and the festival closes with Bhai Dooj, a family meal for brothers and sisters.
Shops, offices and many restaurants close on the main days. Air quality drops sharply around Diwali in the north, and the noise is real: earplugs help, and if you have asthma, bring masks.
Where Diwali is worth travelling for
Away from these places Diwali is best seen from a friend's rooftop rather than from a hotel.
Jaipur
The walled-city bazaars light their arcades and compete for the best display (Johari Bazaar won in 2025, Tripolia came second), and the evenings from Dhanteras to the main night turn into a long walk under lights from Sanganeri Gate to Badi Chaupar. On the main night many shops close early for the family puja, so come by Dhanteras.
Varanasi
On Diwali night the aarti ghats and the temple lanes are lit, and visitors float lamps at Assi after the evening aarti. From Dhanteras to Annakut the Annapurna temple beside Kashi Vishwanath shows the golden image of the goddess, on view on no other days of the year. The river of lamps people picture is Dev Deepawali, fifteen days later on the Kartik full moon.
Amritsar
The same night Sikhs mark Bandi Chhor Divas, Guru Hargobind's return after his release from Gwalior Fort with 52 imprisoned kings. The Golden Temple is lit end to end, every lamp doubles in the sarovar (sacred tank), and most years a short display of green fireworks follows after dark. Entry is free; cover your head and leave your shoes.
Braj: Govardhan, Mathura, Vrindavan
Come for Govardhan Puja. Usually the day after Diwali, Braj feeds the hill Krishna is said to have lifted: temples raise the Annakut, a mountain of cooked food, and the [Govardhan parikrama](/en/govardhan/parikrama/) path around the hill fills with walkers. When the new moon lasts into the next morning, as in 2026, Govardhan Puja moves a day later. Bases: [Mathura](/en/mathura/) or [Vrindavan](/en/vrindavan/).
Mumbai
Paper akash kandils (star lanterns) in the windows, a lantern and light display around Shivaji Park in Dadar for about ten days, and Diwali Pahat, dawn recitals of classical and devotional music, on the festival mornings. In 2025 fireworks were allowed only from 20:00 to 22:00.
Bengal and Goa
In Bengal the same night is Kali Puja, for the goddess [Kali](/en/deities/kali/), with red hibiscus and prayers until dawn. In Goa the night before Naraka Chaturdashi belongs to [Narkasur](/en/goa/): demon effigies five and six metres tall are wheeled through the streets and burned before sunrise.
✅ Etiquette and small kindnesses
- Sweets — Buy mithai (sweets) a day early: queues at the halwai shops on Diwali itself are long. A box is the right gift if you are invited to a home.
- Night workers — Guards, drivers, cleaners and night porters stay at their posts while everyone else is home. A box of sweets or a little cash for them matches the spirit of the day.
- Dress — Indian clothes are welcome at a family puja; at the Golden Temple head covering and bare feet are required.
- Fireworks — Keep a distance from crackers in narrow lanes, and expect noise into the night in the north.
- Amritsar rooms — The SGPC's sarais beside the Golden Temple take bookings only through sgpcsarai.com; the SGPC warns against paying anyone by phone number or QR code.
👣 Booking ahead
The Diwali and Chhath weeks are the heaviest of the rail year towards Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
- Trains
Book on the day reservations open, 60 days ahead, for every city on this page.
- Rooms
Jaipur about three months ahead (hotels were near full in Diwali week 2025); Varanasi and Amritsar about two months; Mumbai a month is usually enough.
- Dev Deepawali
If Varanasi's Dev Deepawali is also in the plan, book that night at the same time: riverside rooms and boats go months ahead.
- Arrive by Dhanteras
Two days before the main night for Jaipur and Varanasi, one day for Amritsar and Mumbai.
❓ FAQ
When is Diwali in 2026?
The main night, Lakshmi Puja, is Sunday 8 November 2026. The five days run from Dhanteras on 6 November to Bhai Dooj on 11 November.
When is Diwali in 2027?
Friday 29 October 2027, with the five days from 27 to 31 October. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka keep Deepavali a day earlier, on 28 October.
What are the five days of Diwali?
Dhanteras (shopping for gold and utensils), Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali, the main day in the south), Lakshmi Puja (the main night), Govardhan Puja with Annakut, and Bhai Dooj.
What does Diwali celebrate?
In the north it recalls the Ramayana story of Rama's return to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana; tradition says the town lit lamps to guide him home. Bengal worships Kali that night, the south marks Krishna's victory over Narakasura, Jains remember Mahavira's liberation and Sikhs keep Bandi Chhor Divas.
Is Diwali a good time to visit India?
Yes, if you choose the place: Jaipur's bazaars, the Golden Temple and Govardhan Puja in Braj are real public spectacles. Elsewhere expect closed shops, booked trains, smoke and noise, with most of the celebration happening indoors.