by Sunita Shah
According to Vaishnava scriptures, King Bali defeated the Gods and began ruling over all three worlds. King Bali was a demon king who belonged to the Asura tribe. The Gods got insecure of King Bali’s popularity and asked Lord Vishnu to step in and help contain Bali. It is said that the great king was sent to the underworld by Vamana (5th Avatar of Lord Vishnu), but was given an allowance to visit his people once a year, hence Onam. The festival celebrates the return from the underworld of King Bali, who was considered a great ruler. Legend has it that when Bali ruled, there was no discrimination based on caste, and there was no corruption or crime.
