New Delhi: Diwali, the festival of lights to celebrate the victory of good over evil, is being celebrated in the National Capital with great enthusiasm, traditional gaiety and religious fervor amid tight security arrangements.
Also known as Deepawali, the festival of lights is celebrated to remember the return of Lord Ram from the 14 years of exile to his Kingdom Ayodhaya after killing Demon Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnatha and freeing his wife Sita from their clutches.
The subject of Ayodhaya welcome this return of Lord Ram, lightening their houses with lamps and distributing sweets to their neighbors.
The festival being celebrated for thousands of years with equal zenith also considered auspicious as Sita, who was considered incarnation of Goddess Laxmi offered food to entire royal Ayodhaya family.
Therefore, People also worship the Goddess Laxmi, who is considered auspicious and sign of prosperity.
To ensure peace and order avoiding untoward incident on the auspicious occasion, the security has been bolstered in the capital.
“Security has been beefed up as armed personnel have have been deputed all across the capital,” official sources said.
Large number of police personnel have been deployed in markets, where there was a last-minute rush for the Deepawali shopping.
Delhi Police said adequate steps have been taken to ensure that no untoward incident takes place.
“Security has been tightened to avoid any eventuality,” a Delhi Police official said.
The administration has also set up a control room to deal with medical and burn emergencies.
The traditional fireworks is expected to be less this time as the cracker business remained sluggish in the city after the administrative advisory as the National Capital Region (NCR) is already in the grip of the haze.
Dressed in their best finery a long queue of people were seen praying at temples.
Trading community celebrated the event with exchange of pleasantries, sweets and gifts while shops and business establishments wore a decorative look.
Major traffic snarls were also reported in the NCR due to last-minute Diwali rush and it was really difficult to do shopping in any of the major markets as vehicles blocked both the entry and exit.
Market areas of Lajpat Nagar, South Extension, Sarojini Nagar, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk and Sadar Bazar proved to be a nightmare for commuters, who either turned back without entry to the areas or remained stuck inside the market for hours due to heavy congestion on all surrounding roads. (PTI)