Rupesh Samant

Panaji (Goa) As the larger than life effigies of Narakasur were burnt to ashes, the State celebrated Diwali. The rains which has been hitting the State since last few days took a break for a  day allowing Narakasur revelers to display their creativity.

Last night, the lanes in cities including Panaji, Margao, Ponda, Vasco and others were packed with the people as the roads were dotted with the Narakasur effigies. While traffic jams prevailed till mid-night, the traffic police were seen standing helpless.

Goa is amongst the rare states which has the tradition of burning Narakasur effigies. Various groups which are involved in making Narakasur effigies were worried as the rains had continued hitting the state.

The entire celebration remained incident free except for one instance where huge Narakasur effigy fell on the crowd at Ponda. Ten people sustained minor injuries. The video of Narakasur falling on the crowd at Ponda was widely circulated on various social medias.

During the wee hours, State celebrated Diwali with lamps being lit at the homes.