Dussehra Image source: Pixabay
Besides the arrival of a crisp autumn season, September-October is the month celebrating the biggest religious festival in India, Dussehra. India is a diverse country with unique tribes and heritage customs and each community celebrates its proper days to solemnise the victory of good over evil and seek wellness, prosperity, and wealth by idolising their deities on this auspicious day.
Also known as Dashmi, Durga Puja, and Vijayadashami in different parts of India, the festival brings out the authenticity and tradition of the region for 10 vibrant days. Followed by the 9-days of the Navratri festival, which celebrates the nine forms of Hindu Goddess Durga, you will be amazed by the distinct customs and rituals performed to celebrate the Dussehra Festival in different parts of India. So, here, through this blog, let’s take a sneak peek into various ways of Dussehra celebration in different states.
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From the great mythological faith from the epic Ramayana, Dussehra in North India is celebrated to fervour Lord Rama’s victory over ten-headed Ravana who abducted his wife Sita during their 14 years of exile period with his brother Lakshman. With the army of monkeys, vultures, and Lord Hanuman, Lord Ram’s eternal devotee, he fiercely battled with Ravana and his army including Ravana’s brother Kumbhakaran and his son Meghanath. And hence the three effigies of Ravana, kumbhakaran, and Meghanath are burned and people seek blessings from the gods and goddesses to keep them and their loved ones away from any harm.
In Tamil Nadu, locals idolise Goddess Chamundeswari, a form of Goddess Shakti and her triumph over demon Mahishasura, and in the eastern region of India, the Dussehra celebration depicts their centuries-old traditional heritage from Shivaji.
No matter where you decide to witness the Dussehra Celebration this year in India, the colourful fairs, the fragrance of delicious cuisines, folk performances, and prayers bells fill the air with serenity and festivities, and it opportune you to get acquainted with unique culture and custom in the different parts of the country with lots of fun and frolic.
The Festival of Lights emphasises good over evil, light over darkness, love over despair, and in some colourful, spiritual, and delicious ways.
Also known as Vijayadashami, Dussehra is the most significant festival in many northern parts of India celebrated to honour Lord Ram and his victory over the evil Ravana.
In Delhi and Almora (a city in Uttarakhand), local actors and performers enact Ramleela, depicting Lord Ram’s life story during 14 years of exile of Lord Ram with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. The festivities go on with large fairs and the burning of the effigies of Ravana, Kimbhakaran, and Meghanath.
Another place that celebrates Dussehra with utter devotion and fervour is Kullu, a district of Himachal Pradesh. The festival commences with the grand processions of Phool Yatra and Rath Yatra of Raghunathji on the 1st day of Ramleela and ends with the burning of the three effigies and Raghunathji’s chariot is drawn to the Beas River banks to celebrate victory over evil, attend the famous Nanda Devi Fair and Kullu Fair in October.
Dussehra Festival marks the mythological and centuries-old tradition and belief in many parts of Western India celebrated on the 10tth day after Navratri everywhere, this is how Dussehra is celebrated in West India.
Apart from Lord Rama’s victory over evil Ravana, Dussehra is celebrated most uniquely in the Bastar region in Chhattisgarh. The people worship Goddess Danteshwari, the guardian deity of the Bastar tribe on this auspicious day. The festivities last for 45 days followed by a chariot procession of the deity, Nisha Jatra- a night-long celebration, muria darbar (grand conference of tribal chieftains), and Ohadi- immersion of the deity’s idol on the last day.
Dussehra is one of the biggest religious festivals in West Bengal and is celebrated by all the people in Kolkata and around the country. The huge pandals with the idols of Lord Ganesha, Goddess Durga, Laxmi, and Saraswati are installed in the playgrounds and temples. People dressed in traditional attire worship the idols and married women greet each other with the touch of vermillion and play Sindoor-Khela. To mark the arrival of new and happy beginnings, immersion of deities is performed in the Hooghly River followed by a joyous procession and boats.
Dussehra is the most colourful and happiest festival in the western part of India. The day is revered as Lord Rama’s victory over evil Ravana. The day of the festival is marked with the 1st day of Navratri and goes on for 10 auspicious days.
In Gujarat, Dussehra is exactly like you’ve seen in Bollywood movies and TV series, and yes, Garba is the main attraction of the festival here. On this auspicious day, everybody dresses in colourful Gujarati attire, kedia for men and lehenga choli for women, and commences the celebration with a grand Aarti dedicated to Goddess Durga followed by Dandia Ras Garba all night long.
The city of Rajasthan, Kota is famous for its Dussehra Mela all across the country. The day marks the final day of Navratri and locals immerse the idols of Goddess Durga and her four children in the Ganga river followed by many rituals and cultural performances, and of course, the burning of the three effigies. To make the day merrier, the city organises the Kota Adventure Festival in October on the Chambal river and puts on street fairs, and prepares delicious Rajasthani cuisines and sweets.
Dussehra marks the harvest season festival in Maharashtra. The festivities start in the early morning including the preparation of traditional meals and sweets to give to the loved ones. The festival holds a historic significance involving Shivaji and his successful challenge in creating, maintaining, and balancing the Hindu Kingdom during the 17th century against the Mughal Empire.
Dussehra is the most revered temple festival and is celebrated in many distinctive manners in South India and with great devotion.
In Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, people worship Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth and prosperity, for the first three days, Saraswati, Goddess of Learning and Knowledge, for the next three days, and Durga, Goddess Shakti, for the last three days. Most houses and cultural societies organise doll and puppet shows (Bommai Kolu) during Dussehra and friends, families, and neighbours exchange gifts and sweets with each other.
In Mysore, Dussehra is to celebrate the victory of Goddess Chamundeshwari, an incarnation of Goddess Shakti who defeated the demon Mahishasura on this day. On the day of Dussehra, a grand procession of Goddess Chamundeswari travels through the city on an elephant chariot from the Mysore Palace to Bannimantap followed by dance and music performances, plays, and fairs.
Lights, flowers, folk music and dance, fireworks, mouth-watering cuisine, and delicious sweets add more delights to celebrating Dussehra with your friends and families. This 10 days long festival brings prosperity and much love to people in their own unique ways. Here’s how you can celebrate the good over evil-
Partake in Processions– Many parts of India commence the celebration of Dussehra by taking out a huge, adorned procession carrying the idols of Goddess Durga, Laxmi, Saraswati, Lord Ganesha, Lord Kartik, Lord Shiva, and other divinities. Hundreds of thousands of people gather together and perform folk dance and act and sing merrily to praise the deities.
Ram Leela- Dressed up as the different characters, the local artists enact the different scenes from the epic Ramayana for the 9 auspicious days. The ramleela ends on the 10th day of Dussehra with the burning of the three effigies- Ravana, Kumbhakarana, and Meghanath. The effigies are made of bamboo, cloth, papers, and other natural things and are stuffed with firecrackers.
Fairs, Food, and Fun- Kullu in Himachal Pradesh and Kota in Rajasthan organise the grandest Dussehra Mela. The colourful stalls of toys, clothing, and other accessories, giant swings, and delicious sweets and street food melt everyone’s heart into festivity. Traditional sweets like Puranpoli of Gujarat, porridge, vermicelli, Samosa, Gulab Jamun, and different types of ladoos are the best delights of Dussehra.
Dussehra is a country-wide Hindu religious festival in India and is celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm among everyone. To celebrate the victory of good over evil, Kullu, West Bengal, Delhi, Bastar in Chhattisgarh, Almora, and Kota are some of the many places in India to visit this year for the Dussehra celebration. Grab the chance to dive into the unique culture and rituals of different regions across the country.
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