Art, music and storytelling marks Diwali at manor house

The glow of Diwali has returned to a historic house in Wolverhampton, with visitors invited to experience a programme of art, music and storytelling.

Wightwick Manor and Gardens has expanded its Diwali celebrations this year, with activities taking place until Sunday, blending South Asian heritage with the house's arts and crafts legacy.

With only two days of celebrations left at the National Trust site, the manor's little-known links to Indian royalty are yet to be explored.

Visitors can enjoy the contemporary traditions of the festival through installations and performances ahead of Diwali, which is on Sunday.

The manor's connection to the royal city of Cooch Behar stretches back more than a century. The Mander family's connections to a royal household helped forge a unique cultural link between the Black Country and India.

Lionel and Alan Mander, brothers of Sir Geoffrey Mander, who later donated Wightwick to the National Trust, married Princess Pretiva and Princess Sudhira of Cooch Behar in West Bengal.

Their parents, Maharajah Nripendra Narayan and Maharani Suniti Devi, were prominent figures who forged strong cultural and diplomatic links between India and Britain during the late Victorian and Edwardian eras.

This year's programme was aimed to celebrate these historic ties, said organisers.

At the heart of the celebrations is a Diwali Installation, which includes new work by local artist Kanj Nicholas - which is running daily between 11:00 and 17:00 GMT.

Diwali, widely known as the Festival of Light, is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs and is associated with themes of hope, renewal and the triumph of light over darkness.

For many Sikhs, the period also marks Bandi Chhor Divas, commemorating the release from prison and return to Amritsar of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind, in 1619.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy live music in the Great Parlour throughout the celebration.

Tabla and flute duo Soulful Sangeet, featuring Mendi Singh and Shubham Tageja, will perform on 6 and 7 November between midday and 15:00 GMT.

Entries to the events are free but the usual admission fee to the site still applies.

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