… and the Triumph of Good over Evil.
Diwali, a joyful festival of lights, is celebrated with great enthusiasm by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains all over the world. The uniqueness of this five day festival is its harmony of Vedic philosophies; Each day is dedicated to a special thought or ideal drawn from different legends and traditions of the Vedic era.
There are many reasons people celebrate Diwali and this famous story of Prince Rama and Sita is one of them:
Rama was exiled from his home for 14 years by his father, King Dashratha, who ruled over the kingdom of Ayodhya. Rama’s stepmother Queen Kaikeyi had wanted her sons to become King, not King Dashratha’s eldest sons Rama or Lakshmana so she forced the King to send the two into exile. They obeyed and along with Rama’s wife Sita, they went to live in the forest. One day, after some time in the forrest, the demon Ravana kidnapped Sita and Rama, his brother Lakshmana and the monkey king, Hanuman, moved to save her. After a fierce battle between Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman with Ravana’s army, the demon was defeated, and after fourteen long years, they then returned home with Sita. Oil lamps were lit to guide them on their way home and to rejoice their victory.