Diwali week in Jaipur at a glance
Diwali is five days, not one, and in Jaipur the build-up is half the pleasure. This is how the week unfolds in our city.
The week before: the lights go up across the walled city, the potters stack towers of clay lamps and the sweet shops run at full steam. Almost as lovely as the festival.
Dhanteras: the day of new things, when families buy gold, silver or a steel pot. The jewellers' lanes are packed from morning to night.
Facts to know
- Diwali night
- The new moon of Kartik
- Usual month
- Late October or November
- Starts
- Dhanteras, two days before
- Ends
- Bhai Dooj, two days after
- Dates
- We confirm them each year
- Roop Chaudas: the day before Diwali, for bathing with ubtan, a paste of gram flour and turmeric, finishing the floor paintings and lighting the first lamps.
- Diwali: the Lakshmi puja at dusk, then lamps on every parapet and fireworks until late.
- Govardhan Puja: the day after, with great offerings of food in the Krishna temples, and a city that sleeps late.
- Bhai Dooj: sisters mark their brothers' foreheads and feed them sweets, and the festival winds down with visits.
- The story behind it: our Diwali festival page tells of Rama's return, Lakshmi's night and the merchants' New Year.
Local tip
Arrive at least two days before Diwali. The evenings of Dhanteras and Roop Chaudas give you the lights without the full Diwali-night crush.
Our walk through the lit bazaars
Each bazaar's traders decorate their own street, and every year they try to outshine each other. This is the route our family walks, gate to gate.
Start at Sanganeri Gate
- Why here: the southern gate opens straight onto Johari Bazaar, and leaving the car outside saves an hour of traffic.
- When: just after dusk, when the lights are new and the sky still holds a little blue.
Johari Bazaar, the jewellers' street
What you see: arcades of gem and jewellery shops lit end to end, shopkeepers on white sheets in new clothes and families buying gold.
- Sweet stop: LMB, the old Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar, for a box of sweets in the middle of the crowd.
- Read more: our page on the bazaars of Jaipur.
Badi Chaupar and Hawa Mahal
- What you see: the great square at the heart of the walled city, with Hawa Mahal glowing above the street.
- Pause here: the crowds are thickest, but this is the picture of Jaipur at Diwali.
Tripolia Bazaar and Chandpole
- What you see: the long western spine of the old city, lit beneath the triple arches of Tripolia Gate.
- Why go: fewer visitors, more families, and the brass and steel shops doing Dhanteras business late.
Bapu Bazaar and Nehru Bazaar
- What you see: the everyday markets inside the southern walls, bright with textiles, shoes and lamps.
- Buy here: a box of clay diyas, a block-printed tablecloth or embroidered mojari slippers.
MI Road, outside the walls
- What you see: the modern shopping street just beyond the walls, lit in its own grand style.
- Finish: dinner, or a drive back to your hotel.
Local tip
Hold hands in the crowd and agree a meeting point, such as the steps of a temple. Phones are useless in the noise of Badi Chaupar on Diwali eve.
Where to watch from above
On Diwali night itself, the street is for families. The best place for a visitor is a roof, where the whole grid of the city glows below you.
A rooftop facing Hawa Mahal: several cafes and old buildings across the street have terraces. We book a table or a private corner well ahead.
Nahargarh Fort: Nahargarh on its ridge looks over the whole city. On Diwali night the view of lamps and fireworks is vast.
Rooftop notes
- Best hour
- Blue hour, just after sunset
- Book
- Tables and terraces well ahead
- Bring
- Scarf, small torch, light layer
- Children
- Ear protection for fireworks
- Your hotel's terrace: inside the walls, Samode Haveli puts you close to the bazaars.
- A family roof: with notice, we can arrange for you to join a family we know on their roof after the puja. This is the Diwali we grew up with.
- When to go up: at the blue hour, just after sunset, when the lamps are lit and the sky still holds colour.
- Bring: a scarf for the smoke, and a light layer for the cooler night air in November.
Joining a Lakshmi puja
At dusk on Diwali night, every home and shop in Jaipur stops. Lamps are lit, the doors are opened, and families pray to Lakshmi to enter.
Where: the puja of a family we know well, or a puja at your hotel. Both are warm and welcoming.
What happens: an altar with images of Lakshmi and Ganesh, marigolds, sweets, coins and lamps, and prayers led by the eldest or a priest.
- For merchants: the red cloth-bound account books called bahi-khata are worshipped with the goddess, and a new book is opened.
- What to wear: something new and bright. A silk kurta, a sari or a lehenga will delight your hosts.
- What to bring: a box of sweets. You will be sent away with another.
- Manners: shoes off at the door, sit where you are shown, and don't touch the lamps or offerings. Ask before photographing a family at prayer.
- Afterwards: the family lights lamps along the parapet, and the children run for the sparklers.
Local tip
Sit near the back and watch the grandmother. She will be the one quietly making sure every lamp is lit and every child has a sweet.
Shopping in Diwali week, and how to do it well
Jaipur shops for Diwali the way other cities shop for Christmas. It is a joy to watch, and a test of patience to join.
Gold and silver on Dhanteras: shop in the morning, before the evening crowds. A small silver coin stamped with Lakshmi is a lovely keepsake.
Who we take you to: family jewellers we have known for decades, never commission showrooms. Our gems and jewellery page explains how we buy.
What to buy
- Dhanteras
- Gold, silver or a steel pot
- Keepsake
- A silver Lakshmi coin
- Lamps
- Clay diyas from a potter
- Gifts
- Sweet boxes, lac bangles, block prints
- Clay lamps: plain, slightly uneven diyas from a potter cost almost nothing and are the most beautiful.
- Lac bangles: from Maniharon ka Rasta, where families shape them over small charcoal fires.
- Textiles: block prints and bandhani from Bapu Bazaar, or a new outfit tailored a few days before.
- Marigolds: strings of orange and yellow marigolds for doorways, sold by the armful near the temples.
- Pay simply: many shops take phone payments, but small notes are quicker in festival crowds.
- Plan ahead: our shopping guide lists what to buy where.
Local tip
Order your new outfit a few days before Dhanteras. After that, every tailor in the walled city is working through the night.
Sweets, and the art of the sweet box
In Diwali week, nobody in Jaipur enters a house empty-handed. The sweet box is a language, and every family speaks it.
Kaju katli: diamond-shaped cashew fudge, often with silver leaf. The safest gift there is.
Barfi: squares of milk fudge, plain, with pistachio or with coconut.
- Laddoo: round sweets of every kind, from besan to motichoor.
- Mawa kachori: Jaipur's own, a flaky pastry filled with sweetened milk solids and dipped in syrup. Rawat Mishthan Bhandar near Sindhi Camp is the best-known name.
- Jalebi and imarti: fried hot in iron pans in the old city, eaten standing at the counter.
- Where to buy: old, busy shops where stock turns over by the hour. LMB in Johari Bazaar is one we use.
- The etiquette: take a box when you visit, accept the one you are given, and never return a box empty.
- Read more: our food of Jaipur guide and our Rajasthani sweets guide.
Local tip
Buy one box for yourselves on the first day. You will be offered sweets in every shop, and it is good to have something to offer back.
Meet the people who make Diwali
Behind every lit parapet is a potter, a floor painter or an electrician who has not slept for two nights. Some of our favourite Diwali hours are spent with them.
The lamp potters
- Where: potters' neighbourhoods on the edge of the old city and in nearby villages.
- What: families throw thousands of diyas, dry them in the sun and stack them in towers. We can arrange a turn at the wheel.
The mandana painters
- What: floor paintings in white lime on red earth, drawn at thresholds to welcome Lakshmi.
- Try it: an hour with the women of a Jaipur family, drawing lotuses and the goddess's footprints.
The bangle-makers and block printers
- Where: Maniharon ka Rasta for lac, and Bagru for block printing, both finishing festival orders.
- Why go: you see the craft at its busiest, and buying directly helps families at their most important season.
Temples in Diwali week
Jaipur's temples are part of the festival, not a pause from it. Each has its own hour, and each is lit in its own way.
Govind Dev Ji: Jaipur's best-loved Krishna temple, in the City Palace complex. The evening worship in festival week is crowded, devotional and very beautiful.
Annakut: on Govardhan Puja, the day after Diwali, Krishna temples heap up mountains of food as an offering, then share it with devotees.
- Moti Dungri Ganesh: the Ganesh temple below the little fort on Moti Dungri hill. Families visit in Diwali week to begin the new year with Ganesh's blessing.
- Birla Mandir: the white marble Lakshmi Narayan temple below Moti Dungri, at its loveliest when it is lit after dark.
- Manners: shoes off, shoulders and knees covered, a small offering if you wish, and photography only where it is allowed.
- Read more: our temple etiquette guide.
What to wear in Diwali week
On Diwali, everyone in Jaipur wears something new. Join in, and the city treats you as a guest rather than a visitor.
Indian dress: a silk kurta, a sari or a lehenga will delight your hosts. We can arrange a tailor a few days ahead.
Dress notes
- Diwali night
- Something new and bright
- For women
- Sari, lehenga or a silk kurta
- For men
- Silk kurta, or a tied safa
- Shoes
- Easy to slip off at doors
- Fabric
- Natural, not synthetic, near lamps
- A draped sari: we arrange for someone who knows how to drape it properly. Our piece on how to wear a sari explains the styles.
- A turban: a safa tied by a master is the most cheerful thing a man can wear on Diwali. See turban tying.
- Jewellery: a little gold or silver is expected on Diwali night. Leave the valuable pieces at home in the crowds.
Getting around without losing your evening
Diwali traffic in the walled city is legendary. Our drivers have a rule: never try to drive through Johari Bazaar after five.
Park outside the gates: we drop you at a gate such as Sanganeri or Ajmeri, walk you in and meet you at another.
Mornings for sights: monuments are quieter than you might expect in the days before Diwali. See the City Palace and Amber Fort then.
Timing notes
- Busiest traffic
- Dhanteras and Diwali evening
- Sightseeing
- Mornings in the days before
- Day after
- Late start, some shops shut
- Week before
- Lights up, crowds lighter
- Afternoons for rest: the evenings are long, and you will want energy for them.
- The day after: much of the city sleeps late and some shops close. Keep it almost empty.
- Cycle-rickshaws: a short rickshaw ride between bazaars is slow but fun, and keeps you out of car traffic.
- Getting here: Jaipur's airport is about half an hour from the walled city, and flights fill in the holiday week. See airports and flights.
Fireworks, smoke and comfort
Diwali night is loud and smoky, and that is part of it. A few precautions keep it a joy, especially with children or sensitive lungs.
Stand back: fireworks are set off in the street. Keep well back and keep children close.
Ears: bring ear protection for small children and anyone who dislikes loud bangs.
- Lungs: smoke can hang over the city on Diwali night and the morning after. If you have asthma, bring your medicines and a mask.
- Clothes: natural fabrics rather than synthetics near lamps and fireworks.
- Rules change: firecracker rules vary from year to year, and we keep you informed.
- Want it calmer? stay outside the walled city, or spend Diwali night at Samode Palace and watch the lights from a distance.
- General advice: our health and safety page.
What most Diwali visitors miss
Visitors see the lights. Families see a hundred small moments. These are the ones we point out to our guests.
The shop pujas: at dusk, look through the open shutters of Johari Bazaar. Jewellers sit with their families before Lakshmi and the new account books, lamps glowing on white sheets.
Whitewash and fresh paint: in the weeks before, every family whitewashes its walls. Look for fresh mandana at the doors of old havelis.
- The sweet-box traffic: offices and shops send boxes to each other all week. Boys on scooters stacked with sweets are the true sign of Diwali.
- The first diya: on Roop Chaudas, a single lamp is lit at many doors facing south. Ask your guide what it is for in his family.
- Quiet morning after: walk the walled city at seven the day after Diwali. Spent fireworks, sleeping dogs, burnt-out lamps and a city entirely at rest.
- Gambling for luck: in many homes, families play cards on Diwali night for small stakes, for luck in the coming year. You may be invited to join a hand.
Where to stay for Diwali in Jaipur
For Diwali, we choose a hotel by how close you want to be to the noise. Inside the walls, the festival is at your door. Outside, it comes in measured doses.
Inside the walls: Samode Haveli lets you walk out into the lit bazaars and back without a car.
The grand address: Rambagh Palace, whose lawns are lovely with lamps on Diwali night.
- Calm and spa: The Oberoi Rajvilas, on the city's edge, with gardens and a spa to retreat to.
- Palace in the city: Jai Mahal Palace and The Raj Palace are also good bases.
- In the hills afterwards: two quiet nights at Alila Fort Bishangarh or Samode Palace.
- Ask for: a room or suite with a terrace, so you have your own view on Diwali night.
- Compare: our guide to luxury hotels in Jaipur.
Local tip
Ask your hotel what it plans for Diwali night. Some hold a puja and dinner for guests, and some host large private celebrations. It changes the evening.
A five-night Diwali plan
Five nights through the five days. Mornings for the city, evenings for the lights, and two afternoons with nothing planned at all.
Day 1, two days before Diwali
- Morning: the City Palace and the Govind Dev Ji temple.
- Evening: our bazaar walk from Sanganeri Gate, with sweets at LMB.
Day 2, Dhanteras
- Morning: silver or gold with our jeweller, before the crowds.
- Afternoon: an hour of mandana with a Jaipur family.
Day 3, Diwali
- Morning: a slow start and a swim. The city is busy at home.
- Dusk: the Lakshmi puja, then the rooftop and dinner.
Days 4 and 5, rest and the hills
- Govardhan Puja: a late breakfast, then Amber Fort in the afternoon.
- Bhai Dooj: drive to Samode for a last quiet night. Our Diwali in Jaipur journey is built on this shape.
Who will love Diwali in Jaipur
If you could see only one festival in Rajasthan, we would choose this one. But it is not for everyone.
First-timers: you see the life of the city, not just its history.
Families: sweets, sparklers, new clothes and a mandana to paint. Choose a hotel with a garden.
- Couples: a private dinner on a palace roof with lamps around the table. See our private palace dinners.
- Photographers: the blue hour over the lit bazaars. Our photography tips explain lamplight and smoke.
- Less suited to: anyone who dislikes noise, smoke or crowds. Come in February for a calm Jaipur.
- Go on to Pushkar: the Pushkar Camel Fair peaks on the full moon about two weeks after Diwali. Our Pushkar fair guide explains how to combine them.