Vijayadashami Special
Vijayadashami Special
Vijayadashami also known as Dasahara, Dusshera, Dasara, Dussehra or Dashain is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October. Vijayadashami is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian subcontinent. In the southern, eastern and northeastern states of India, Vijayadashami marks the end of Durga Puja, remembering goddess Durga's victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura to help restore dharma. In the northern and western states, the festival is synonymously called Dussehra (also spelled Dasara, Dashahara). Vijayadashami is a composite of two words "Vijaya" (विजय) and "Dashami" (दशमी), which respectively mean "victory" and "tenth," connoting the festival on the tenth day celebrating the victory of good over evil.
History
Ravana kidnapped Sita. To free her; Rama requested Ravana
to release her but situation became worse & led to the second war.
After performing severe penance for ten thousand years he received a
boon from the creator-god : he could henceforth not be killed by gods,
demons, or spirits. He is portrayed as a powerful demon king who
disturbs the penances of rishis. Lord Vishnu incarnates as the human Rama to defeat and kill him, thus circumventing the boon given by Lord Brahma. A deadly and fierceful battle takes place between Rama
& Ravana in which finally Rama kills Ravana and ends the evil rule.
Ravana has 10 heads. Killing of the one who has 10 heads is called
Dusshera. Finally Dharma was established on the Earth because of Rama's
victory over Ravana. Thus this festival is celebrated reminding the
victories of Good over Evil.
Celebration in Northern India
In most of northern and western India, Dasha-Hara (literally, "ten
days") is celebrated in honour of Rama. Thousands of drama-dance-music
plays based on the Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas (Ramlila)
are performed at outdoor fairs across the land and in temporarily built
staging grounds featuring effigies of the demons Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghanada. The effigies are burnt on bonfires in the evening of Vijayadashami-Dussehra. While Dussehra is observed on the same day across India, the
festivities leading to it vary. In many places, the "Rama Lila", or the
brief version of the story of Rama, Sita and Lakshamana, is enacted over
the 9 days before it, but in some cities such as Varanasi the entire story is freely acted out by performance-artists before the public every evening for a month.
Celebration in Southern India
The city of Mysore has traditionally been a major center of Dasara-Vijayadashami celebrations. Dussehra is very if not most important festival in another South Indian
state called Telangana. Dussehra is culmination of nine days of
Batukamma festivity. Telangana women make flower arrangements over the
nine days to sing and dance around the beautiful flowers. Families from
Telangana have been observing Batukamma celebrations across globe. Another significant and notable tradition of several South Indian regions has been the dedication of this festival to Saraswati,
the Hindu goddess of knowledge, learning, music and arts. She is
worshipped, along with instruments of one's trade during this festival.
In South India, people maintain, clean and worship their instruments,
tools of work and implements of their livelihood during this festival,
remembering Goddess Saraswati and Durga.
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