There was a festive fervour across the country on Thursday on the occasion of Diwali, as houses were decorated with diyas and rangolis and illuminated with lights. Several public gatherings were organised on the occasion where people came together to release sky lanterns and watch the fireworks.

A woman and her child make rangoli at their home in Kolkata. (Credit: IANS)
A woman decorates her house on the eve of Diwali in Mumbai. (Credit: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)
Fireworks at the Madan Mohan Malviya stadium in Allahabad. (Credit: AFP)
Fireworks at the Madan Mohan Malviya stadium in Allahabad. (Credit: AFP)

Diwali was also celebrated in Sri Lanka where devotees thronged temples to offer prayers. Singapore’s Land Transport Authority ran Diwali-themed buses and trains. The streets in Singapore, which has a sizeable Indian population, were also decorated with lights.

Diwali decorations at a temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Credit: AFP)
Festive cheer in the lanes of Singapore. (Credit: Land Transport Authority/Facebook)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday celebrated Diwali with soldiers posted along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gurez Sector. Modi offered sweets and exchanged greetings with the jawans .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers in the border town of Gurez, Jammu and Kashmir. (Credit: IANS)
Women make rangoli designs on the road in Siliguri. (Credit: AFP)

The Golden Temple in Amritsar and the Akshardham temple in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar were illuminated with lights. On Wednesday, the Deepotsav event was organised in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, which was also attended by Chief Minister Adityanath.

A view of the illuminated Golden Temple in Amritsar. (Credit: PTI)
Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar illuminated with laser lights. (Credit: PTI)
A woman places lamps at her home in Hyderabad. (Credit: AFP)
People shopping ahead of Diwali in Jammu. (Credit: IANS)
People release sky lanterns in Ghaziabad. (Credit: IANS)