India celebrates Diwali

Diwali, celebrated all across India on Sunday, is a Hindu festival which marks the homecoming of the Hindu god Lord Ram after vanquishing the demon king Ravana and symbolises taking people from darkness to light and the victory of good over evil.

Diwali marks the homecoming of Lord Ram after vanquishing the demon king Ravana and symbolises taking people from darkness to light and the victory of good over evil.
In this picture, a view of the illuminated Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar, some 30 kms from Ahmedabad, Gujarat is pictured ahead of Diwali festivities.

Indian Border Security Force officers give gifts to Pakistani Ranger officers on Diwali at the India-Pakistan Wagah Border near Amritsar.
Indian Border Security Force soldiers and villagers light candles to celebrate Diwali, near the India-Pakistan international border area at Ranbir Singh Pora, about 33 kilometers from Jammu.
Indian Border Security Force personnel light candles at the India-Bangladesh border crossing at Akhaura in Agartala, Tripura.

An Indian potter paints earthen lamps or diyas ahead of Diwali in Amritsar.
Girls make Rangoli on the eve of Diwali in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Indian camel herders play with fireworks on the eve of Diwali in Pushkar, Rajasthan.

Colorful lanterns and stars hang from roadside stalls on the eve of Diwali festival in Mumbai.
An Indian shopkeeper selling decorative items is assisted by a young boy as they wait for customers on the eve of Diwali in New Delhi.

Shoppers buy lanterns from roadside stalls ahead of Diwali in Mumbai.
A boy lights candles at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the eve of Diwali.
Devotees gather at an illuminated Golden Temple in Amritsar on the eve of Diwali.
Fireworks and light decorations, lit by athletes with some ornaments paying homage to Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, pictured at the Madan Mohan Malaviya Stadium on the eve of Diwali in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.
Traditional sweets are displayed for sale at a wayside shop in Allahabad.
Indian traders perform rituals as they worship their account books in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Family members light candles along a residential staircase on the eve of Diwali in Kolkata.
Widows light lamps as they celebrate Diwali at an ashram in Vrindavan.
Widows light crackers as they celebrate Diwali at an ashram in Vrindavan.
A woman hangs flowers and home decorations in the Brickfields area, also known as Little India, in Kuala Lumpur.
A young devotee offers prayers in front of diyas at Batu Caves Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur.