Varanasi: Amid the religious and spiritual fervour, the millennia old city of Varanasi celebrated Dev Deepawali on the auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima on Monday.While lakhs of devotees started thronging the Ganga ghats for the Kartik Purnima snan in the morning, the majestic riverfront of Ganga wore a heavenly look with illuminated innumerable diyas (earthen lamps) and colourful lightings in the evening.All 85 ghats, including NaMo Ghat and Sant Ravidas Ghat, were illuminated with 12 lakh lamps, including 11 lakh earthen lamps and one lakh cow dung lamps. Besides the ghats and the sand bed on the opposite bank of the Ganga, other water bodies were also decorated with lakhs of lamps. The colour combination of the decoration and spiral lighting made the occasion memorable.It was like a celestial happening to see the floating diyas on the riverr and spectacular reflection of illuminated palatial buildings. Lakhs of people, including foreigners, assembled at the ghats to see Kashis Dev Deepawali.Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed ambassadors from 70 countries along with 150 foreign delegates and their family members who visited Varanasi to see the grand celebration of light. The guests arrived at Namo Ghat from the airport in the afternoon. From there, they embark on a cruise to capture the magnificent views of the riverfront during Dev Deepawali. It was a memorable moment for them to watch the grand Ganga Aarti at the Dashashwamedh Ghat, laser, sound and cold pyro show at the Chet Singh Ghat and projection show at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dhams Ganga Dwar, highlighting the significance of Kashi and information related to the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor. They also enjoyed the green fire crackers show organised on the sand bed opposite to the Lalita Ghat.Embedded with spirituality, a glimpse of nationalism was also displayed with the replica of Amar Jawan Jyoti created by the Ganga Seva Nidhi at Dashashwamedh Ghat. The cultural programmes by local artists were also presented at the ghat.Elaborate security arrangements were made in the city to avert any untoward situation during the celebration. The NDRF teams, equipped with rescue tools, were stationed at various ghats. A medical team with a water ambulance was also arranged to provide free treatment to devotees at different ghats. The Jal Police personnel were deployed at the ghats, and the traffic diversions and parking arrangements were ensured to manage the heavy crowd of devotees and tourists. The tradition of Dev Deepawali, which started from the Panch Ganga Ghat, has now illuminated all the ghats of Kashi. It is believed that the gods descend from heaven in invisible form on the holy Ganga ghats of Kashi to celebrate this festival. According to Hindu scriptures, when the demon Tripurasura began to oppress the deities and started killing them, Lord Vishnu killed this cruel demon on this day, and the deities celebrated Dev Deepawali.

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