Dev Diwali Pictures

On the river on the night of Dev Deepavali

Lighting the Lamp - May the whole world be filled with the light of love in every heart.

Lighting lamps in a patern of a Swastika - a symbol of good fortune and well-being (not at all associated with Nazism)






Sunday November 5th was the festival Dev Deepavali which in Varanasi is the most beautiful night to be on the ghats (the steps on the banks of the river)
The ghats are the focus of this holy city, especially this night, because thousands of people light lamps and place them in rows all along the river.

Ten of us rented a small boat together and spent two hours on the river along with hundreds of others. It wasn't the most fantastic Dev Deepavali I've seen- two years ago, there were more lights out - but it was very cool anyway.
Above you can see some of the pictures we took along the way. One of them a picture of a friend lighting one light from another which we later floated on the river - each one with a prayer for the city and it's people.