VARANASI: Dev Deepawali is celebrated on Kartik Purnima 15 days after Diwali.

It is believed that to celebrate this festival, gods descend from heaven in invisible form on the holy Ganga ghats of Kashi and pave the way for salvation of devotees participating in the maha aarti.

The description of the festival is also found in the ‘Shiv Purana’, which says that when demon Tripurasura began to oppress the deities, Lord Vishnu killed him on this day, and the gods celebrated Dev Deepawali.The tradition was started from the Panch Ganga Ghat and in the past three decades it has become a unique aspect of Kashi.

It is also believed that the King of Kashi initiated the tradition of lighting lamps on the ghats for his martyred soldiers.

By lighting lamps on this day, ancestors attain liberation, and the devotee who lights the lamp also finds the path to salvation.