Do not confuse Dev Deepawali with Diwali, though both are festival of lights but are extremely different in rituals.

Celebrated every year in the sacred city of Varanasi, Dev Deepawali or Dev Diwali, marks Lord Shiva’s victory over demon Tripurasur and comes after 15 days of Diwali.

Therefore, the festival is also known by the name of Tripurotsav and is observed on the day of Kartik Purnima (the full moon day for the Hindus).

On this auspicious day, a large number of devotees come together to take a dip in the holy Ganges.

They pray to goddess Ganga and offer flowers and light clay lamps or diyas in the evening. This act of offering lit-up lamps to the Ganga is called Deepdaan.

As the sun goes down, every single step of the staircases at Varanasi ghats glitter with thousands of diyas, which look absolutely gorgeous. Besides the ghats, all the temples in the city are also beautifully lit by the lamps.