A huge Rangoli made from colored sandstone and displaying the sacred word OM surrounded by lighted lanterns greeted visitors at the BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Temple on Nov 17th for its Hindu New Year and Diwali celebrations. After midday arti, the youth wing sang the "thaal" , listing and glorifying the food items on the Annakut, praying to the Lord to accept them. Prasad was offered throughout the day as people streamed in for the arti every hour and darshan of the annakut. During the evening festivities, there were delightful devotional songs, and saint Uttamcharan Swami explained the significance of Diwali. "It celebrates the return of Lord Rama to the city of Ayodhya, after he vanquished the demon king, Ravana.", he said, " and for us this symbolizes our own struggle for righteousness and defeat our own demons", he concluded