Fireworks illuminated the evening sky and earthen lamps dotted the houses as Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated across the country with traditional fervour and gaiety on Tuesday.

People clad in new attire thronged temples and distributed sweets among friends and relatives while children and youngsters burst firecrackers and exchanged 'Happy Diwali' SMSes.

President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Ministers also celebrated Diwali.

Amid a global financial crisis and fears of its impact on India, pre-Diwali sales saw a downturn this year. Government agencies and NGOs campaigned for a safer and quieter Diwali.

Keeping in view the recent bomb blasts in various parts of the country, tight security measures were put in place around vital installations, markets and places of worship.

In the national capital, more than 3,400 personnel were deployed to maintain a strict vigil. Security was also tightened in Jammu where people in large numbers visited the historic Ragunath temple and Lakshmi Narayan temple.

In Amritsar, hundreds of devotees queued up since morning to pay obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum of Golden Temple.

According to Hindu belief, Diwali marks the return of Lord Ram to his kingdom after 14 years in exile. It also holds significance for Sikhs as on this day in 1620, sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind Sahib was freed by Mughal emperor Jahangir.

The celebrations were marred by tragedy in Bihar's Gopalganj district when three children of a family were killed and another was seriously injured in an accidental explosion in a heap of firecrackers. One man was burnt to death in a blaze at a cracker shop in Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand.