The sounds of drums and woodwind instruments can be heard from outside of Savannah’s Hindu Temple.
Inside, celebrations for Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, are taking place. Diwali is the most widely celebrated holiday by Hindus and Indians across the world. On Diwali day, which fell on Oct. 26 this year, hundreds gathered at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir on Canebrake Road to commemorate the festival with food, song and rituals.
Specific traditions mark each of the five days of Diwali. The biggest celebration on Oct. 26 culminated in an abundant vegetarian food offering called annakut, the candle-lighting ceremony or aarti and a fireworks show later that evening.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
The meaning of Diwali differs from region to region in India. For the Swaminarayan sect, the holiday marks the beginning of the new year on the Hindu calendar, the year 2079. It’s also a celebration of light over darkness, good over evil and the triumph of the God Rama over the evil God Ravana.
During the ceremony, the temple’s or Mandir’s caretaker, Hetalbhai Dave, lights five candles for Aarti, and waves the flames in front of the mountainous food offering. The act of lighting lamps or candles symbolizes the removal of darkness from within oneself – darkness, meaning anger, envy, greed, arrogance and resentment.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Over 200 vegetarian dishes were mounted on the altar, for annakut. The flavors at the bottom of the altar are largely savory, while towards the top, where the row of Hindu deities sit, the dishes become sweeter. Drashti Sharma, one of the devotees at the temple, said this symbolizes efforts to ring in a sweeter new year and a sweeter life.
In conjunction with Diwali celebrations, members of the Swaminarayan temple also memorialized one of the most important figures of their faith, the Hindu guru Pramukh Swami Maharaj or PSM. Gurus are considered the leaders of the Hindu sect, and PSM was the fifth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan. His 100th birthday was celebrated on Nov. 7 this year.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
After aarti and annakut, the food is accepted by the gods and is considered sanctified. People place their offerings on silver plates and prepare to feast on the homemade dishes. Among them is Sharma’s favorite, the gulab jamun, a fried doughy snack dipped in sweet syrup.
Dave, the caretaker, rings in the new year with an auspicious message: “We will just pray for all of the people, all of the humankind. You will be happy, healthy and wealthy and have a prosperous new year.”
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is celebrating its 17th anniversary this Sunday: https://www.baps.org/Global-Network/North-America/Savannah/Upcoming-Events.aspx
Nancy Guan is the general assignment reporter covering Chatham County municipalities. Reach her at nguan@gannett.com or on Twitter @nancyguann.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah’s Hindu community celebrates Diwali, the Festival of Lights, with day-long ceremony
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