Shola Diwali Lights (2018) by Artists from Uttar & Dakshin DinajpurBanglanatak
Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is India's largest and most important festival. Today, the celebrations are an explosion of color, firecrackers, lamps, and gifts.
But what are the festival's origins, and how do they relate to the celebrations of today? Scroll on, look, and listen, to discover 5 artworks that tell the story of Diwali...
Rama and Sita, with Lakshmana returning to Ayodhya (1600/1700) by UnknownNational Museum - New Delhi
1. Rama and Sita, with Lakshmana returning to Ayodhya
According to one popular Hindu tradition, Diwali celebrates the homecoming of Ram and Sita to their home of Ayodhya after a long exile, as told in the epic poem cycle, The Ramayan. This 17th century paintings shows them returning triumphantly in a flying 'pushpaka vimana'.
Rama and his male companions are armed with bows, reminders of their warrior prowess in exile. Sita, Rama's beloved, sits facing him holding a glowing lotus flower. The glow of diyas (candles and lamps) outside houses on Diwali today is said to guide Rama and Sita home.
Lakshmi (1930s) by Raja Ravi Varma and Ravi Varma PressThe Ganesh Shivaswamy Foundation
2. Lakshmi, Raja Ravi Varma
Another tradition ties the celebration to the birth of the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. Legend has it that she was born out of churning cosmic waters on the first day of Diwali. Raja Ravi Varma, India's most famous artist, here depicts her rising from a lagoon on a lotus flower.
An elephant, traditional symbol of royalty and divinity, attends on the goddess with laurels.
Krishna and Satyabhama Rescue Princesses from the Demon-King Narakasura Illustrated folio from a dispersed Bhagavat Purana (ca. 1775, Shah Period (1768-2008)) by Unknown artistThe Newark Museum of Art
3. Krishna and Satyabhama Rescue Princesses from Narakashura
Diwali is celebrated across religious denominations, from Hinduism to Jainism to Buddhism. Stories differ, but all agree that it celebrates the victory of light over dark, good over evil. One Hindu tradition tells of the killing of the Demon King, Narakashura. In this 18th century painting, the battle rages.
Krishna deals the final blow, slaying Narakashura in the form of a bird demon. Diwali takes place in the dark winter month of Kartika. Its brightness and color is a celebration of light triumphing over dark, much like the story of Krishna and Narakashura.
Princess enjoying a sparkler in the month of Karttika (circa A.D. 1750) by UnknownNational Museum - New Delhi
4. The Princess Enjoying a Sparkler in the Month of Kartika
This beautiful miniature painting from around 1750 shows a princess enjoying all the lights and riches of Diwali, surrounded by her attendants. The luscious detail of the miniscule brushstrokes creates a scene of prosperity and resplendence.
Smoking a huqqa and enjoying wine, the princess lights a phosphorescent sparkler against a backdrop of inky night. The coil of smoke rising into the sky shows the skill and attention of the miniature artists.
Diwali celebrations at Kotah ((c. 1690)) by IndianNational Gallery of Victoria
5. Diwali Celebrations at Kotah
This is a 17th century tamasha painting, a traditional form of panorama showing celebrations and scenes of court life. Here, the celebrations of Diwali are in full swing!
In the court, women dance and sing, possibly to the traditional Sita Ram song celebrating the homecoming of the exiled royals.
In the fields outside the court's walls, drummers attend from a window as men engage in sport, dancing, and all manner of revelry. Can you spot the hawks and goats?
Lights, lamps, and firecrackers explode into the night. Happy Diwali!
