Diwali is one of the major festivals celebrated across India and as common knowledge exists it is said to be the festival of light, hope and a celebration of darkness over evil. The celebrations which last for five days mainly mark the arrival of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and Lord Lakshman to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana in Lanka on Vijayadashmi or Dussehra. In India, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhist communities celebrate Diwali and the stories or interpretations differ across communities.

As we gear up for Diwali celebrations in the coming week, let’s take a look at the backstory and what the mythology says about the significance of each of these five days.