India celebrates Diwali, the festival of lights

School girls light candles as they sit near a 'Rangoli', during Diwali celebrations at a school in Amritsar.

Sikh devotees pay their respects at the illuminated Golden Temple in Amritsar on the ocassion of Bandi Chhor Divas or Diwali.

Shoppers choose electric lights for Diwali in Siliguri. Electric lights and traditional lamps are in heavy demand for the ‘festival of lights,' Diwali.

A worker puts gun powder inside a clay pot to make a fire cracker for Diwali, near Kolkata.

Commuters stop by a roadside vendor selling water lilies on Diwali in Allahabad.

AFP photo

An artisan arranges painted earthenware oil pots or diyas for Diwali in Hyderabad.

A girl lights an earthen lamp on Diwali in Ahmedabad.

People shop for Diwali in Kolkata.

A woman shops for artificial garlands for Diwali in Jammu.

Women shop for Ganesh and Lakhsmi idols, which are symbols of prosperity and wealth, on the occasion of Diwali in Kolkata.

A trader worships an iPad and other electronic gadgets, including laptops and mobile phones, on Diwali, at the office in New Delhi. Since ages, the worshipping of account books has been an essential part of Diwali for the business community in India for prosperity of business. Signifying the modernisation of the retail trade in India, some traders are now including the worshipping of electronic gadgets.

A stock trader offers a prayer as he places rice grains inside a new accounting book before the start of Muhurat Trading - a special trading session on the occasion of Diwali, the Festival of Lights - at a brokerage house in Mumbai on November 13, 2012. India's Sensex index slid 0.28 percent or 51.47 points at 18,618.87 points on November 13, its fourth straight day of declines, a day after industrial output shrank by a surprise 0.4 percent in September. Healthcare, real-estate and auto stocks fell in cautious trade, which marked token ceremonial trading during the Hindu festival of Diwali.

Pakistani Rangers wing commander Adnan (C) presents a box of sweets to Indian Border Security Force (BSF) Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Baby Joseph (2R) on Diwali at the India-Pakistan Wagah Border.

Sikh devotees offer prayers as they stand in the holy sarover (water tank) at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the ocassion of Bandi Chhor Divas or Diwali.