Boise Hindu community gathers for luminous Diwali celebration

Over 100 people gathered at Boise's Hare Krishna Temple and Cultural Center, 1615 Martha St., on Sunday evening to celebrate Diwali, a Hindu festival celebrating Lord Rama's homecoming.

The celebration, characterized by the lighting of lamps and candles, featured music, dancing and acting from children in the community, as well as a lighting festival.

Ravi Gupta, whose family established the temple in the 1980s, said Diwali is "probably the most widely celebrated festival in India."

"Most importantly, it's a festival of light," Gupta said. "And it signifies the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil, of all that is beneficial and flourishing in this world over all that is the opposite of that."

This story was originally published October 30, 2016 at 7:58 PM with the headline "Boise Hindu community gathers for luminous Diwali celebration."