India is a sensory overload all year round, but it truly lights up during Diwali.
The festival of lights symbolises the victory of good over evil and commemorates Lord Ram’s return to his kingdom Ayodhya after completing his 14-year exile.
Today, it's a time to be social and for people to see friends and family and exchange gifts. The whole country is lit up. The shops are busy. The streets are packed (and traffic is at its peak).
There's nothing quite like it.
Scroll through the gallery above to see celebrations everywhere from Kolkata to Amritsar and from Chandigarh to Bhopal.
Also in the gallery above are moments from the second day of Tihar in Nepal (which is the country's equivalent to Diwali). On the second day of the festival, people in Nepal worship dogs, repaying the love towards man's 'best friend'.
In the pictures, Nepal's Armed Police force are celebrating their dogs. The force has a total of 33 dogs of various breeds, including German shepherds, labrador retrievers, cocker spaniels and Belgian malinois.
