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Dussehra

Dussehra (less commonly transliterated as Dussera or Dassera) or Vijaya Dashami is an important Hindu festival. It is celebrated by Indians every year in the Hindu Vikrami Calender month of Ashwin (September/October).

Legend

This day marks the triumph of Lord Rama over Demon king Ravana. On this day, Rama killed Ravana and freed his wife Sita after leading an army of monkeys. Sita was taken by Ravana from Ramas Ashram to avenge the insult of his sister Shoorpanakhawho had proposed to marry Ram (or Lakshman) but got her nose cut off by Lakshman when she tried to hurt Sita. Ram and Sita were supposed to be peacefully passing their time of exile (14 years), while Lakshman accompanied them on this exile willingly; when their step-mother Kaikeyee asked for it from her husband and their father Dashratha.

Army of Monkeys

The army of monkeys has an interesting tale behind it. Legend in some scriptures has it that Sage (Ascetic) Narada (pronounced - Naarad) was supposedly an avowed bachelor, but every time he would see a beautiful lady he felt enchanted. Destiny would be such that he was always left behind by the lady in favour of someone else. Once he tried to impress a princess, without realizing his face was turned by his mentor Gods into that of a monkey. Lord Vishnu laughed at seeing Narada's lost battle, and made Narada realize what he was looking like. Narada in a fit of anger, told Vishnu that in his TretaYug (One of the Yugas as per Hindu Mythology) reincarnation as Rama, Vishnu would have to take help from the same animal (monkey) in order to reaffirm his pride and glory after winning over the Demon. The building of bridge between Rameswaram and Lanka in Ramayana is the oldest mention of the shallow waters on Strait between India and Sri Lanka although it was named as Adam's Bridge by the British to suit their convenience of reference.

Celebrations

On this day, the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakaran and Meghanad are burnt; which are stuffed with crackers. Especially children enjoy seeing this because of the beautiful fireworks on the ground. The festival which is thought as the 'Victory of Good over Evil' & "Return of God from Exile' is celebrated in wonderful style decorating the entrances of houses & shops with flower studded strings called 'Torans' (Floral Gateways) & worshipping vehicles, machineries, books, weapons & also tools.

Other festivities of the occassion

This is also the festival marking end of Navratri and the immersion of Durga idols which are worshipped for nine days prior to Dussehra. Dussehra is also the day when many families start formal education of their kids. The practise has been so old, that in some parts of Kerala, even after conversions to Christianity, some members of the community continued this tradition. In 2004, many churches in Kerala formally adopted the same tradition of introducing young children to education on Dussehra day.

Different Celebrations in different parts of India

Dussehra is celebrated in various ways in different parts of South Asia. In Bengal, the festival is celebrated as Kali Puja or Durga Puja, while in Tamil Nadu, the festival incorporates worship of the goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswati and Shakti. In North India, it incorporates the end of Navratri as well as killing of Ravana as two seperate events on the same day. The most famous Dussehra for foriegners visiting India, is celebrated in Mysore District of Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.

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