Mystic city dazzles with twinkling diyas on Dev Deepawali

Varanasi, Nov 5 (UNI) Chain of floating diyas on the sacred Ganga river competed with their twinkling counterparts dotting the imposing ghats here this evening to mark the festival of 'Dev Deepawali' -- symbolising the elimination of demon Tripur by Lord Shiva.

A sea of revellers including innumerable foreign tourists, US diplomats and shutterbugs from all corners of the world trouped down to the majestic riverfront with only one aim, if not to catch the glimpse of glittering fantasy then to be a part of the celebrations that not only spanned the 84 ghats dotting the river, but also various ponds and temples of the holy city.

The mainstay of the celebrations were the two stages created on the river in front of Dashwashamedh Ghat, where the army jawans first paid floral tribute to the martyrs at the replica of India Gate and Amar Jawan Jyoti.

The floral homage was ensued by an aerial tribute to the martyrs with Indian Air Force helicopter spraying ghats with rose petals amid the chants of 'Har Har Mahadev' -- the hallmark of this mystic city.

The stage was set for the celestial Ganga 'Maha Arti' by 30 brahmins and Ganga 'Dugdabhishek' on both Shitla and Dashwashamedh ghats followed by a montage of cultural programmes, including a delegation from US Embassy led by Minister Counselor for Public Affairs Larry Schwartz.

Meanwhile, another series of celebrations occupied the centrestage at the Mehta ghat neighbouring the Panchganga ghat, the genesis of Dev Deepawali celebrations since 1986. The celebrations there were triggered by the shehnai recital of Naiyyar Hussain, the second son and musical heir of shehnai wizard Bharat Ratna Late Ustad Bismillah Khan.

Ustad Hussain played a 'dhun' from the Naubatkhana of the Balaji temple -- the place where his revered father was blessed with the prized glimpse of Lord Vishnu -- to herald the ignition of Dev Deepawali.

Dollops of colourful flares hogged the moonlit skyline as young college-goers performed the Deepa Nritya holding twinkling diays in their hands, to trigger prolonged activity by a galaxy of shutterbugs to capture the best possible snap.

While the audience at the ghats filled the air with 'Har Har Mahadev', the countless revellers unable to make it to the majestic riverfront replied with similar rants despite intermittent police lathicharge.

Even as cultural delights enthralled audience on the cherished riverfront, many others made the most of the glittering festive clime at the other dazzling ghats including Assi, Bhainsasoor and Kedar ghats, besides twinkling ponds and temples in the city like Durgakund, Ramkund and Luxmi Kund.

The festivities at Luxmi Kund comprised the shehnai recital by Zamin Hussain, the third son Ustad Bismillah Khan, while the celebrations at the Mandakini Tirth saw 51,000 diyas narrate the celestial story of Tripurs elimination by Shiva.

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