When the ghats are lit for the gods
Episode 11 of 11 in Kashi Vishwanath: the city of light.
Narrated with an AI voice.
- Reading time
- 2 min
- Listening time
- 3 min
- By
- DharmikStudio Originals
- Temple or tirtha
- Kashi Vishwanath Temple
- Narration
- AI voice
Read along
Namaste. In the earlier parts of this series we walked the ghats of Kashi, from Assi in the south to the northern ghats, and sat for the evening Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh. Today we come back to the river on one particular night of the year. The full moon of Kartik. The night Kashi calls **Dev Deepawali**, the Diwali of the gods. This year it falls on Tuesday 24 November.
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The idea behind the name is very simple, and very lovely. For the whole month of Kartik, people bathe in the Ganga before sunrise and light lamps in the evening. On the last night of the month, the full moon, it is said that the gods themselves come down to Kashi to bathe in the Ganga and to celebrate. And so the city lights its lamps for them.
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If you have seen photographs, you will know what this looks like. As the sun sets, people begin to place clay lamps on the steps of the ghats. One lamp, then ten, then thousands. Volunteers, families, children, priests, boatmen. The lamps run down the steps to the water and along the river from one ghat to the next, until the whole curve of the Ganga at Kashi is outlined in small flames. The river is full of boats, and the light from the steps falls on the water and moves with it.
The evening aarti is done on a larger scale than usual, and many people float leaf lamps on the river. Then, for a long time, people simply sit and watch.
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A few gentle things, if you are planning to be there.
The day before and the day itself are among the busiest in Kashi's year. If you are coming from abroad, from London or New Jersey or Singapore, try to arrive two or three days early and rest. Kartik is a good month to be in the city anyway, with cool mornings, and you will have time to take your own early bath, visit Kashi Vishwanath, and walk the ghats before the crowds come.
The best way to see the lamps is from the river. Boats are booked well in advance for this night, so if you would like one, ask early through a person you trust, and agree where you will board.
If you are travelling with elders, choose one ghat, reach it early, and stay there. The steps are steep and crowded after dark.
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And if you cannot be in Kashi this year, you can still keep the night. On Kartik Purnima, light a lamp at home, wherever home is. If there is a river or the sea nearby, go to the water and float a small lamp, if it is allowed there. Or simply put the lamp at your window, think of the long line of lights on the Ganga, and know that you are part of it.
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Next time in this series, we will go into the lanes behind the ghats.