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Devotees light earthen lamps on the bank of Saryu River during Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya on Saturday. (PTI)[/caption]
New Delhi, Oct. 27 (PTI): Decorated lights decked up buildings and earthen lamps dotted houses as people across the country celebrated Diwali on Sunday with much fanfare amid some restrictions on bursting of firecrackers imposed by the Supreme Court.
People exchanged sweets and gifts, visited temples and greeted each other, with many of them taking the virtual route to convey their wishes.
There was, however, no traditional exchange of sweets with Pakistani soldiers along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir or the Indo-Pak border in Punjab, officials said.
President Ram Nath Kovind greeted the people of the country and urged them to "try to bring happiness in the lives of those who are less fortunate and needy by lighting the lamp of love, care and sharing".
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also extended Diwali wishes to the people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoped that this festival brightens everyone's "lives with prosperity and good health" and there is "happiness all around".
The Golden Temple in Amritsar was illuminated with a newly-installed special lighting system and traditional 'diyas'. It witnessed a huge rush of devotees who took a dip in its holy tank and offered prayers at the sanctum sanctorum and Akal Takht (highest Sikh temporal seat).
The task force of the Shriomani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee was also deployed in the periphery of the Golden Temple.
'Langar' (community kitchen) arrangements were made for devotees who will stay in the temple all through Diwali night.
In Delhi, people started bursting crackers in some areas much before the Supreme Court-set two-hour window.
With Delhi's air quality plummeting to dangerous levels around Diwali every year, the Supreme Court in 2018 banned polluting firecrackers and ordered that only green firecrackers, which is said to cause 30 per cent less pollution, can be manufactured and sold.
But the green pyrotechnics have failed to draw good response both from sellers and buyers, primarily due to lack of variety, limited stock and high prices.
Last year also, people continued to buy the conventional firecrackers and use them.
The Arvind Kejriwal government has organised a four-day mega laser show since Saturday at Connaught Place to encourage people shun crackers to cut down pollution in the national capital.
In Tamil Nadu, people thronged various places of worship, including the famous Meenakshi temple in Madurai, Ranganathaswamy temple in Tiruchirappalli and Kamakshi temple in Kanchipuram.
Kali puja was also celebrated in several states, including West Bengal where people visited Kali temples since the morning to pay obeisance to the deity.
Hundreds of devotees stood in long queues at Tarapith, Kalyaneswari, Dakshineswar, Kalighat and Kankalitala Kali temples in the state to seek blessings of the goddess.
Kali Puja was also organised at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence at Kalighat in the city and many people including dignitaries like Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar along with his wife visited her house.
Meanwhile, the Deepostav organised by Uttar Pradesh's the Yogi Adiyanath government has found a place in the Guinness World Records as a total 5.61 lakh earthen lamps were illuminated on the occasion on Saturday in Ayodhya.
During the event four lakh 10,000 diyas were illuminated on 'Ram ki paudi' ghats and one lakh 51,000 thousand lamps were illuminated at other places.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched schemes worth INR 226 crore on the occasion.
He said: "Out of seven holy cities three -- Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura-- three are in our state. No one in the world and country has this prosperous and cultural environment".
"Development projects in Ayodhya are being taken forward with new policies. You have witnessed that mother (river) Sarayu had maintained a gap with us but now we have started taking her blessings," he said.
On the occasion, a symbolic descent of Lord Rama and Seeta took place, helicopter turned in 'Pushpak Viman' and, the Chief Minister and Mahant Nritya Gopal Das did symbolic coronation of Lord Rama.