Theepavali is one of the biggest festival
of Hindus, celebrated with great enthusiasm and happiness all over the world. Theepavali
is the joyous celebration of the triumph of good over evil. It is the popular
belief that the fireworks that add splendor to the festivities actually reduces
the evil to ashes. The uniqueness of Theepavali is that it harmonizes five
varied philosophies, with each day assigned to commemorate a special thought or
idea. According to a legend, which is also taken to be a history of Theepavali,
the world celebrates Deepavali as the day the goddess stopped dancing after her
battle with Mahishasura.The festival begins with Dhanteras, which is the
celebration of the birth of goddess Lakshmi from the bottomless ocean. The
second day is "Narak Chaturdhashi", which commemmorates the felling
of Narakasura by Satyabhama with the help of Indra. This is again another view
of history of Theepavali. Some also believe that the second day is dedicated to
Bali the generous king, who returns to his kingdom amidst celebrations. The
most famous legend behind the celebrations of Theepavali is about the prince of
Ayodhya, Lord Shri Ram Chandra, his defeating Ravana and his return from exile
by lighting lamps on this darkest night of the year.