Tradition of Diwali Puja

Diwali has many legends and religious accounts to it. Lights and diyas are lit to signifying the driving away of darkness and ignorance, as well as the awakening of the light within ourselves. Diwali is the time for family gatherings; food; celebration and pooja. The goddess Laxmi plays a major role in this festival, as do Ram and Sita. This autumn festival is celebrated for five continuous days, of which each one has its own significance.

Houses and Business places are renovated and decorated; entrances are made colorful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her long awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder (kumkum) all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights.

The house is kept clean and rangoli is drawn at the doorstep to welcome Goddess Laxmi. For the best time for puja, a pandit is consulted. The general things needed for a diwali puja are silver and gold coins, suparis, uncooked Rice, paan leaves, kumkum for applying tilak, mithaai (Indian sweets), camphor, agarbattis (incense sticks), dry fruit (almonds, cashews), flower petals and Lakshmi-Ganesh icon.

Deepavali Pooja is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lit to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. Bhajans are sung in praise of the goddess and sweets are offered to her. Deepavali Puja consists of a combined pooja of five deities: Ganesha is worshipped at the beginning of every auspicious act as Vighnaharta; Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in her three forms Mahalakshmi,the goddess of wealth and money, Mahasaraswati, the goddess of books and learning and Mahakali. Kuber, the treasurer of the gods is also worshipped.

Diwali is the most significant festival in their religious order. Lord Mahavira, the last of the Jain Tirthankaras, attained Nirvana on this day at Pavapuri. According to Jain tradition the chief disciple of Mahavira, Ganadhar Gautam Swami also attained complete knowledge on this very day, thus making Diwali a really special occasion for the Jains to celebrate. Diwali is first mentioned in Jain books as the date of the nirvana of Lord Mahavira.

"Thus people in Bharata every year celebrate famous "Dipalikaya", to reverently worship the Jinendra on the occasion of his nirvana on the Amavasya of Kartika month".