When Lord Rama and his forces defeated the evil demon king Ravana, and rescued Rama’s wife Mata Sita, they were able at last to make the long journey from the kingdom of Lanka back to the city of Ayodhya. Years before Rama, Sita and Rama’s brother Lakshmana had been exiled from Ayodhya, but now they were free to return and the people of the city were overjoyed at the thought of their coming.

As the royal procession drew near to the city though, night was falling, and the people realised that the moon would not shine that night – it was the dark time of the moon’s cycle. The city then had no lights, and the people worried that their beloved king might lose his way in the dark. Therefore, they began to light diyas, little earthenware oil lamps found in every household, and place them in the windows and on the ground outside. Quickly light spread from house to house and from street to street, so that when Rama, Sita and Lakshmana rode into Ayodhya, they were welcomed by a field of countless little stars, and they felt the welcoming love of the people.

Since then the lights are kindled every year as a celebration of the victory of light over darkness, of truth over falsehood. It is called ‘Diwali’, meaning ‘a row or collection of lights’.