A Festival Of Lights, Or A Festival Of Bursting Firecrackers? A History Of Diwali Celebrations

A thick blanket of smoke greeted the residents of Delhi Wednesday morning. The ban on firecrackers in the national capital could not curb the enthusiasm of a few who brought out their old stock of crackers and decided to burn them on Dhanteras, celebrated two days before Diwali.

Best known as the festival of lights, over the decades, Diwali has transformed into a festival of firecrackers, or at least some claim that firecrackers are an integral part of Diwali celebrations, and both, essentially, are inseparable.

When did firecrackers arrive in India?

¡°The use of fireworks in the celebration of Diwali, which is so common in India now, must have come into existence after about 1400 AD when gunpowder came to be used in Indian warfare,¡± stated late historian PK Gode in his account, ¡°History of Fireworks in India between 1400 and 1900,¡± published in 1950.

Gunpowder, the primary ingredient in fireworks, has a long history in India.

Gunpowder was an accidental tenth or eleventh-century invention of medieval Chinese alchemists. The gunpowder technology and the pyrotechnical entertainment mixtures found their way from China to India through the Arabs.

One of the earliest accounts of fireworks in India is made by Abdur Razzaq, the ambassador of the Timurid Sultan Shahrukh to the court of the Vijayanagar king Devaraya II in 1443.

A Mughal painting depicting women celebrating Diwali with sparklers | Commons

Describing the Mahanavmi festival, Razzaq wrote, ¡°One cannot without entering into great detail mention all the various kinds of pyrotechny and squibs and various other arrangements which were exhibited¡±.

The earliest accounts of fireworks being used in India are recorded around 1400 AD.

Pyrotechnical shows were a part of royal entertainment in a few medieval Indian kingdoms during festivals, events, and special occasions like weddings.

Kautukachintamani, a Sanskrit volume by Gajapati Prataparudradeva (1497-1539), mentions the formulas for manufacturing firecrackers.

Celebrating with Fireworks, Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; Late Mughal, Muhammad Shah period; or Oudh; Second quarter of the 18th century Credit: San Diego Museum of Art.

It is possible that Chinese pyrotechnic formulas were brought to India around 1400 AD and modified according to ingredients that were available in India.

There are accounts of fireworks being used in 1518 in weddings in Gujarat, and in 1609 when Ibrahim Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur spent Rs 80,000 on fireworks alone.

So, how old is the tradition of bursting crackers on Diwali?

After a ban on firecrackers was imposed this year too around Diwali, many saw it as an attack on Hinduism, and more significantly, it was seen as an infringement of the right to burn firecrackers on the biggest Hindu festival, claiming to be an integral part of celebrations.

But that may not be entirely correct.

Hinduism is believed to be the world's oldest religion, according to some scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years.

The festival of lights, however, dates back to over 2,500 years.

This is much before the Chinese invented gunpowder, and firecrackers made their way into India in the 13th century.

Even a few centuries later, fireworks were only limited to royalty and became a sign of prosperity and grandeur during the Mughal era. Fireworks were common during weddings and coronations.

Marriage procession of the Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh the eldest son of Shahjahan. Dara Shikoh is seen riding a brown stallion in the centre of the painting. The bride¡¯s side is seen receiving the marriage procession with magnificient firework display. Sou

It is believed that the use of firecrackers did not likely start before the 18th century. It was when the Maratha rulers would organise firework displays for the general public.

It was only after Independence, that Indian industries started manufacturing firecrackers. India's first fireworks factory was established in Calcutta during the 19th century.

Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu became the manufacturing hub of firecrackers, after two brothers P Ayya Nadar and Shanmuga Nadar, went to West Bengal in 1923 to learn to matchmake.

Armed with newly acquired knowledge and skill, when they returned home two months later, they set up two factories, which also made firecrackers. The first item they made was sparklers, popularly known as 'phooljhadi' in Hindi.

There isn't a single proof that people of Ayodhya had burnt fireworks on the arrival of Lord Rama, but only scriptural evidence that people lit diyas in joy.

History is a proof that firecrackers are a legacy of the Chinese and the Mughals and in no way an inseparable part of Diwali. The bursting of firecrackers is a recent north Indian phenomenon, which gained prominence as soon as firecrackers were made accessible to the common man.