Deepavali in Mughal Delhi: lamps, fireworks and court rituals

Thousands of diyas lit the Red Fort during Shah Jahan’s reign, while fireworks rose over the newly founded capital of Shahjahanabad. Deepavali had a place in the Mughal court long before then. It was known as Jashn-e Chiragha’n, or the festival of lamps.

From Akbar’s court to Shah Jahan’s Delhi

Emperor Akbar celebrated the festival at Agra Fort, distributing sweets including ghewar, shahi tukda, kheer, peda and jalebi. Court chronicler Abul Fazl wrote in the *Ain-i-Akbari* that festivities began with Dussehra and continued for weeks. Akbar also commissioned a Persian translation of the *Ramayana*; scenes from the epic were read and re-enacted at court during the festival.

Jahangir described Deepavali in his memoirs as the beginning of the new year for the trader community. Shah Jahan later made it a major court occasion. Delhi chronicler R.V. Smith wrote that, after shifting the capital to Delhi, Shah Jahan introduced the *akash diya*: a sky lamp placed atop a 40-yard pole and kept alight with several maunds of oil.

Aurangzeb observed the festival more austerely, accepting gifts from Rajput kings and noblemen. Under the later Mughals, celebrations expanded again under Muhammad Shah ‘Rangeela’, who was said to have watched dancers carrying diyas perform around fountains with his courtiers.

Three lamp days at the Red Fort

Munshi Faizuddin’s 1885 account, *Bazm-i Aakhir*, describes Deepavali inside the Red Fort during Bahadur Shah Zafar’s rule. Entry to the palace was restricted during the festival’s three days because of beliefs concerning black magic, and vegetables were not cut within the palace.

On the third lamp day, the emperor was weighed against gold and silver, which was distributed among poor people. Lights covered the fort’s towers and turrets, with their glow reaching Chandni Chowk. Women serving as ushers carried toys, clay playhouses, sweetmeats, sugarcane and lemons for door-to-door distribution in the walled city.

Smith recorded that diyas illuminated Shahjahanabad’s water canal, with Muslims contributing cotton wicks and Sikhs supplying oil. Lala Kushal Rai, whose name survives in an Old Delhi lane, was known for ghee lamps and fireworks said to rival those at the Red Fort.

Today, Deepavali in the walled city includes community pandals, bhajans, jagrans and bhandaras. The Diwali Mela outside the Red Fort draws visitors through the month, while shoppers head to Bhagirath Market for electrical goods and Kinari Bazaar for decorative and packaging materials.