Dussehra Indian festivals
The festival that signifies the triumph of good over evil, Dussehra, is one of the most noteworthy Indian festivals. It is observed on the tenth day of Navaratri. This festival is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Lord Rama over the demon Ravana. This holy festival is the occasion to hold in the highest regards, the virtues of Lord Rama, who is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu (The ‘Presever’ god in Hindu Trinity). Dussehra strengthens the vows of devotees to follow the path and deeds of Lord Rama.
Legend behind Dussehra Festival
The pious Hindu epic Ramayana unfolds the legendary tale of Lord Rama winning his beloved wife Sita, who was abducted by demon Ravana, the emperor of Lanka.
According to Hindu mythology, Shoorpnakha, the sister of Ravana, fell in love with Rama and Lakshmana (Rama’s younger brother), and wanted to marry any one of them. After being refused by both, she threatened them to kill Sita. Lakshamana, in anger, cut her ears and nose. This lead to Ravana abducting Sita in order to take revenge of her sister. To rescue Sita, Rama and Lakshmana fought a battle with Ravana in Lanka. Lord Hanuman and an enormous army of monkeys helped the brothers.
There is also a reference associated with the celebration of Dussehra festival in the great epic Mahabharata. With different unique weapons, Pandavas fought with several evil forces. These five brothers abandoned their weaponries and left into one-year exile. After returning from exile, they found their weapons under the Shami Tree under which they had buried them before going off for exile. Pandavas worshipped the tree before their battle in which they emerged victorious. This legend is also memorialized at the time of Dussehra Festival.
Vijayadashami - The Day of Victory
Investing in these three will make your life in a certain way. If you invest in tamas, you will be powerful in one way. If you invest in rajas, you will be powerful in a different way. If you invest in sattva, you will be powerful in a completely different way. But if you go beyond all this, it is no longer about power, it is about liberation. After Navratri, the tenth and final day is Vijayadashami – that means you have conquered all these three qualities. You did not give into any of them, you saw through every one of them. You participated in every one of them, but you did not invest in any one of them. You won over them. That is Vijayadashami, the day of victory. This brings home the message of how being in reverence and gratitude towards everything that matters in our lives leads to success and victory.
Dussehra - Devotion and Reverence
It is my wish and my blessings that all of you should celebrate Dussehra with total involvement, joy and love.
Of the many things that we are in touch with, of the many things that contribute in making and creating our lives, the most important devices that we employ in making a success of our lives are our own body and mind.
Being in reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon, towards the air that you breathe, the water that you drink, the food that you eat, the people that you come in touch with and everything else that you use, including your body and mind, will lead us to a different possibility as to how we can live. Being in a state of reverence and devotion towards all these aspects is a way of ensuring success in every endeavor that we partake in.
Celebrate Dussehra With Joy & Love
Traditionally, in Indian culture, Dussehra was always full of dances, where the whole community mixed, met and mingled. But because of external influences and invasions over the past two hundred years, we have lost that today. Otherwise Dussehra was always very vibrant.
Even now it is still so in many places, but it is being lost in the rest of the country. We have to bring it back. The Vijayadashami or Dussehra festival is of a tremendous cultural significance for all who live in this land – irrespective of their caste, creed or religion – and should be celebrated with gaiety and love. It is my wish and my blessings that all of you should celebrate Dussehra with total involvement, joy and love.
What Do People Do?
Many people of the Hindu faith observe Dussehra through special prayer meetings and food offerings to the gods at home or in temples throughout India. They also hold outdoor fairs (melas) and large parades with effigies of Ravana (a mythical king of ancient Sri Lanka). The effigies are burnt on bonfires in the evening. Dussehra is the culmination of the Navaratri festival.
There are many local celebrations in some areas in India that can last for up to 10 days. Local events include:
- Performances of the Ramlila (a short version of the epic Ramayana) in Northern India.
- A large festival and procession including the goddess Chamundeshwari on a throne mounted on elephants in the town of Mysore in the state of Karnataka.
- The blessing of household and work-related tools, such as books, computers, cooking pans and vehicles in the state of Karnataka.
- The preparation of special foods, including luchi (deep fried flat bread) and alur dom (deep fried spiced potato snacks), in Bengal.
Many Hindus also believe that it is lucky to start a new venture, project or journey on Dussehra. They may also exchange gifts of leaves from the Shami tree (Prosopis spicigera) as a symbol of the story of the Pandavas brothers' exile in the Mahabharata stories.
Public Life
Government offices, post offices and banks are closed in India on Dussehra. Stores and other businesses and organizations may be closed or have reduced opening hours. Those wishing to use public transport on the day may need to contact the local transport authorities to check on timetables.
Background
Dussehra celebrates the Hindu god Rama's victory over the demon king Ravana and the triumph of good over evil. The epic Ramayanatells the story of the Lord Rama who wins the lovely Sita for his wife, only to have her carried off by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.
Ravana plays an important role in the Ramayana. Ravana had a sister known as Shoorpanakha. She fell in love with the brothers Rama and Lakshamana and wanted to marry one of them. Lakshamana refused to marry her and Rama could not as he was already married to Sita.
Shoorpanakha threatened to kill Sita, so that she could marry Rama. This angered Lakshamana who cut off Shoorpanakha's nose and ears. Ravana then kidnapped Sita to avenge his sister's injuries. Rama and Lakshamana later fought a battle to rescue Sita. The monkey god Hanuman and a huge army of monkeys helped them.
The Mahabharata is another series of Hindu stories that play a role in the Dussehra festival. The Pandavas were five brothers who fought evil forces with a set of distinctive weapons. They abandoned their weapons and went into exile for one year.
They hid their weapons in a Shami tree and found them at the same place when they returned from exile. They then worshipped the tree before going to a battle, which they won. This epic is also commemorated during Dussehra.
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