Diwali — the festival of lights — celebrates the return of Rama to Ayodhya and, in Delhi, is the biggest week of the year. It unfolds over five days: Dhanteras, when families buy gold, silver or new utensils and the jewellers in Karol Bagh and Chandni Chowk stay open until midnight; Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali); the main Diwali night with the Lakshmi puja, when homes are lit with rows of clay diyas and strings of lights; Govardhan Puja; and Bhai Dooj, the day of siblings.
For a visitor the markets are the way in. Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi is the traditional Diwali bazaar — lamps, sweets, dried fruit and fabric under a canopy of lights; Sarojini Nagar and Lajpat Nagar are the mainstream bargain markets; Dilli Haat runs a Diwali mela of crafts from across India; and the luxury malls and Khan Market dress their frontages for the season. Hotels host Diwali dinners and the big temples — Akshardham, the Lotus Temple's neighbourhood, the Chhatarpur complex — are illuminated.
Diwali night itself is best spent with hosts if you have them; if not, a rooftop in a residential colony in South Delhi or Gurugram gives you the skyline of fireworks in every direction. Delhi restricts or bans conventional firecrackers most years because of air quality, and the days after Diwali are frequently the worst-air days of the year. Check the forecast, carry a mask if you are sensitive, and keep the day after Diwali for indoor plans.
The festival is also the peak of the domestic travel season, so flights, trains and hotels are full and priced accordingly; book two to three months ahead. Traffic in the last days before Diwali is the year's worst. A chauffeur with a fixed rate from Indira Gandhi airport, and for the market evenings, is the difference between enjoying the week and enduring it.
Three things to get right
- Chandni Chowk for the traditional bazaar, Dilli Haat for crafts, Khan Market for gifts.
- Keep the day after Diwali for indoor plans; the air is often at its worst.
- Book flights and hotels two to three months ahead — it is India's peak travel week.
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