31 vibrant pictures of Diwali and Tihar being celebrated in India and Nepal

From honouring service dogs in Kathmandu to lighting lamps on the banks of the river Sarayu

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  A woman dressed as Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, in Bhopal, India. EPA

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  An Armed Police dog handler decorates his K9 colleague with colour, petals and flower garlands at the Armed Police Dog Training School in Kathmandu, Nepal. EPA

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  Indian businessmen pray in front of their record-keeping books as part of a ritual to worship the Hindu deity of wealth goddess Lakshmi in Ahmedabad, India. Reuters

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  People light lamps on the banks of the river Sarayu to celebrate Diwali in Ayodhya, India. AP

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  Buyers and sellers throng a wholesale flower market on the occasion of Hindu festivals Kali Puja and Diwali, in Kolkata, India. AP

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  Sikh devotees light candles during Bandi Chhor Divas which coincides with the day of Diwali at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. AFP

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  Hindu devotees light earthen lamps on the banks of the River Sarayu on the eve of Diwali festival during an event organised by the Uttar Pradesh government, in Ayodhya. AFP

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  The Dignitaries light, which is claimed to be as world's biggest earthen lamp, is seen on the eve of the Diwali festival in Guwahati, India. EPA

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  Amateur wrestlers participate in a friendly wrestling competition on a make-shift ring at the junction of a busy road organised as part of Diwali festivities in Kolkata on October 26, 2019. AFP

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  People light lamps as they make a formation of 'Om', a spiritual icon for Hindus, on the eve of Diwali, in Chandigarh, India. Reuters

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  Indian vendors prepare artificial flower pots for sale at a roadside shop on the eve of Diwali festival in Amritsar, India. EPA

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  A vendor arranges designer lamps in a market on the eve of Diwali in Guwahati, India. EPA

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  Indian security personnel keep watch as Hindu devotees light earthen lamps on the banks of the River Sarayu on the eve of Diwali. AFP

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  The Akshardham Mandir is seen illuminated with some 10,000 oil lamps on the eve of Diwali festival, in Gandhinagar, some 30 kms from Ahmedabad, India. AFP

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  Widows burn earthen lamps as they participate in an event to mark Diwali in Vrindavan, India. EPA

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  Young women light lamps on occasion of Diwali festival celebrations in Bhopal, India, on October 26, 2019. EPA

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  Sikh devotees visit the Golden Temple to mark Bandi Chhor Divas which coincides with the day of Diwali in Amritsar. AFP

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  Devotees pray next to sweets and fruits that are kept as offerings by the devotees as part of a ritual to mark Annakut festival during Diwali in Ahmedabad, India. Reuters

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.