Happy Dussehra! May good win over evil
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the nation on the occasion of Dussehra via Twitter. Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashmi, symbolizes Lord Ram's victory over Ravana, the ten-head demon king of Lanka. RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat celebrated Vijay Dashmi in Nagpur and addressed cadres of RSS. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and said, "Warm greetings to everyone on the eve of Vijaya Dashmi".
President Pranab Mukherjee greeted fellow countrymen in India and overseas on the occasion of Dussehra. He urged everyone "to follow the path of moral and ethical rectitude". He hoped that this festival may inspire everyone to emulate righteousness of Lord Rama, Sita's virtues and Hanuman's humility. President Mukherjee hoped that celebrations would bind communities and regions together "in a true sense of brotherhood."
In Bengal, Dussehra is celebrated as Durga Puja. The women offer Sindoor on the forehead of the goddess Durga and then on each other. Deities of the goddess Durga are worshipped for five days, and on the fifth day (Dussehra) immersed in a river or pond. In Jharkhand, Bengal, Assam and Odisha, the goddess Kali, an appellation of Durga, is also worshipped.
One of the major attractions of Kullu valley is Kullu Dussehra. Dussehra at Kullu commences on 'Vijaya Dashami' day itself and continues for seven days. In 17th century, the local King Jagat Singh installed an idol of Raghunath on his throne as a mark of penance. God Raghunath was declared the ruling deity of the valley who is worshipped till date and on Dussehra.
Mysore Dasara is celebrated all over Mysore with much enthusiasm. The Mysore palace is lit for a whole month during the Dussehra festival. According to the customary rituals, an elephant parade takes place. The effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhkaran are then burnt to symbolize the victory of good over evil. On Vijaydashmi, the goddess Chamundeshwari is worshiped followed by a grand procession.
The state of Gujarat celebrates Navaratri to show devotion to Goddess Durga who took nine nights and 10 days to defeat Mahishasura. People celebrate the nine-day long festival by playing the folk dance of Garba to folk songs. People wear traditional attires, worship Goddess Durga and perform Garba through the night. The deities of Durga are immersed in water on Dussehra, the tenth day.
Dussehra is known as Dashain in Nepal and is a 15 day long festival. On the eighth day of the festival, people offer sacrifice of goats, buffalo, chicken etc. to goddess Durga. On the 10th day of Dasain, elders put Tika and Jamara on the forehead of younger members of the family. All government offices and educational institutions remain closed during the festival period.
Dussehra is a 5-day long festival in Bangladesh and is celebrated in mandaps (congregation). The festival is held at Dhakeshwari temple and Ramkrishna missionary in Dhaka. The clay statues of Goddess Durga are immersed in rivers on the day of Dussehra. They perform pooja using turmeric and other items and add them to the river in order to help the water yield better crops.
