India celebrates Diwali on Sunday, with homes, temples and marketplaces across the country lit up for the festival of lights, and the stock exchanges holding their traditional Muhurat trading session to mark the start of the new Samvat year 2083.

The National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange will open for a special one-hour Muhurat session in the afternoon, despite Sunday being a regular market holiday. The main trading window runs from 2:20 pm to 3:30 pm, after a pre-opening session from 2:05 pm to 2:20 pm and a block-deal window from 1:50 pm to 2:05 pm. The exchanges will be closed on Tuesday, November 10, for Balipratipada.

An auspicious start to Samvat 2083

Muhurat trading is one of the oldest traditions of the Indian markets. Investors place token trades during the short session, believing that buying during the auspicious hour brings prosperity for the year ahead. Brokers say the session, though brief, draws wide participation from retail investors and trading desks alike, and is watched as a sentiment marker for the year to come.

The session comes as Indian equities have opened the festive period on a firm note, and as households across the country mark Lakshmi Puja, the evening prayers to the goddess of wealth that form the heart of Diwali.

Celebrations across the country

In Ayodhya, Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan and Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel visited the Ram Janmabhoomi temple on Saturday, performing aarti of Ram Lalla and lighting diyas in the temple courtyard. Satellite images of the temple complex shared ahead of the festival by Finnish company ICEYE showed the shrine and the Sarayu river in striking detail.

Authorities in several cities are keeping a close watch on air quality as firecrackers are lit through the evening. In Delhi, where pollution levels have stayed in the 'very poor' range, Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan is already in force, with curbs on construction and older vehicles.

Diwali, which marks the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs, and by Indian communities around the world. For many families, the day begins with prayers and ends with fireworks, sweets and gatherings that stretch late into the night.