A Tamil devotee lights an oil lamp at a religious ceremony during the Diwali or Deepavali festival at Ponnambalavaneshwaram Hindu temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka on October 24, 2022. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)

Hindu devotees celebrate Diwali with oil lamps, candles, Incense and flowers at Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka on November 12, 2023. (Photo by Syed Mahabubul Kader/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A girl arrives at Batu Caves temple for Diwali celebrations on November 04, 2021 in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia. Deepavali, or Diwali, known as the festival of light, is celebrated by Hindu communities every autumn all over the world. As Malaysia gradually eases its COVID-19 restrictions, religious activities and prayers in temples are allowed only for fully-vaccinated individuals, with mask-wearing and social distancing measures in place. (Photo by Annice Lyn/Getty Images)

A Nihang' or Sikh warrior performs “Gatka”, an ancient form of Sikh martial arts, during a Fateh Divas celebration a day after the Hindu festival Diwali, in Amritsar on November 5, 2021. (Photo by Narinder Nanu/AFP Photo)

Participants from Newar community in traditional attire, takes part in the parade to celebrate Newari New Year that falls during the Tihar festival, also called Diwali, in Kathmandu, Nepal November 12, 2015. The Newar community observes the start of their Newari New Year 1136, in accordance with their lunar calendar, by worshipping their spiritual selves in a ritual known as "mahapuja". (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Dancer Maithili Vijayakumar performs on the occasion of the launch of 2021 Diwali celebrations, at St. Andrew Square in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, November 16, 2021. The multi-cultural celebration will take place for the first time in two years in the center of Edinburgh on Sunday, Nov. 21. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Wire via AP Photo)

Nepalese police officers worship a dog during the dog festival as part of Tihar celebrations, also called Diwali, at the Central Police Dog Training School in Kathmandu, Nepal October 29, 2016. Dogs are worshipped to acknowledge their role in providing security during Tihar festival, one of the most important Hindu festivals that is also dedicated to the worship of the goddess of wealth Laxmi. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

“Early morning in Mandawa, rural Rajasthan: it was the morning of Diwali and the streets were swept by smiling women in brightly coloured sarees as I took an early morning cup of chai. Celebrations started later, when darkness fell”. (Photo by Hamish Scott-Brown/Guardian Witness)