Varanasi, Nov 5: Tall, slender bamboo poles rise along the banks of the Ganga, their tops adorned with wicker baskets holding flickering diyas that glow in the fading light, seemingly reaching out towards the endless skies.
The “Akash Deep”, or sky lamps, at Panchganga Ghat in the holy city of Varanasi are part of a centuries-old tradition, observed to this day by people who travel from far and wide to pay homage to their ancestors.
From the beginning of the Hindu month of Kartik, women arrive at the Panchganga Ghat to place earthen lamps filled with sesame oil into bamboo baskets which are then hoisted to the top of the poles using ropes.
According to Mahant Jitendra Mohanpuri of the Batuk Bhairav Temple, these “Akash Deep” illuminate the path for the ancestors.
“The tradition of lighting ‘Akash Deep’ has been practiced in Kashi since ancient times. It is believed the deities celebrate festivals on the day of Sharad Purnima, and during the Kartik fair, they descend to the mortal realm”, Mohapuri told PTI Bhasha.
The area around each bamboo pole is decorated with rangoli patterns along with additional diyas dedicated to various deities.
Regarding the antiquity and significance of this tradition, professor Vinay Pandey from the Department of Astrology at Banaras Hindu University explained that the tradition involves bathing in the Ganga at dawn and offering an “Akash Deep” at dusk.
“This tradition is mentioned in the Puranic texts…If one is unable to perform this throughout the entire month of Kartik, one may choose to bathe in the Ganga and offer an ‘Akash Deep’ for any three consecutive days during the month,” he said.
Pandey added that people may also place these lamps on the rooftops or in the courtyards of their homes, dedicating them to their ancestors and the deities.
At the Shrimath, also situated at the Panchganga Ghat, Maharani Ahilyabai of Indore commissioned the construction of an ‘Ek Hazara’ (a structure for a thousand lamps) made of red stone in 1780, specifically for the “Akash Deep” tradition.
Mohanpuri claimed that this is a unique structure, “the only one of its kind in the country”, designed to hold and light one thousand lamps simultaneously.
A total of 1,008 diyas are lit at the ‘Ek Hazara’ structure on the day of Dev Deepawali.
The month-long practice of the Akadh Deep tradition concludes on the day of Kartik Purnima, which is on November 24 this year. (PTI)
