Dussehra - Good that sabotaged evil
Dussehra - The Name Origin
The name Dussehra evolved from the combination of two sanskrit words. The first word is Dasha, which means ten and the second word is Hara, which means to kill or defeat. The one who killed the ten is known as Dasha Hara. Here ten refers to Ravana, The ten headed demon king of Lanka who abducted Sita from Rāma. Ravana was defeated and slayed by the king of Ayodhya-lord Rama in the war.The day Ravana was killed is celebrated as Dussehra. Dussehra is also known as Vijayadasami marking the victory of Lord Rama .Vijaya means victory and dasami refers to the 10th day of the brightest fortnight.
Mami's tale from Chennai
Its Navaratri time in Tamil Nadu and the day of Mālaya amavasya marks the beginning of the ten day long celebration.Kamala māmi,an ardent devotee of lord Nārayana never misses being back in Chennai during this time of the year. Māmi refers to any orthodox lady wearing tradional saree known as madisar.In Tamil Nadu there is an age old tradition of arranging dolls in steps beautifully decorated with lights, flowers, colourful clothes and rangoli.Kamala māmi plans for this festival six months before as she makes dolls on her own. She follows a theme every year to arrange the dolls. Ramayana theme begins from the Putrakāmeshti yãgna done by king Dasharatha to beget offsprings and the story goes on till the end of Ramayana. This entire story is told using handmade doll arrangements in such a way that by seeing them in sequence one can easily understand the story. The same way Mahabharata, Dasha avatar of lord Vishnu or many other topics are chosen.Kamala māmi uses different kinds of materials to make these dolls. Even at the age of 70 she never gets tired doing creative stuffs and welcoming people home to witness this amazing art by her. This way of arranging dolls is called as Golu in tamil . Also miniature parks, supermarkets, playgrounds, cricket ground and many such interesting handmade crafts are kept in display.
One day an Indonesian named Bagus visited Kamala māmi's house with his friend Rāman ,mesmerized seeing the golu asked Kamala māmi to explain about this festival. She got excited and started explaining ,"Golu is showcased not only to show the dolls to people ,It is about revisiting our culture and traditions . This way we also teach our younger generations about our puranās and ithihāsās in a way that is a virual treat. The dolls are arranged in hierarchical order showing that the supreme is the Lord Nārayana and under him comes the entire universe.These ten days guests are invited ,given goodies and sweets when they visit home. Those who come home sing devotional songs in front of the golu and exchange good wishes . These guests in return invite us to have a glimpse of their golu at home. The Ninth day is celebrated as Saraswathi Puja or Āyudha Puja . This day all the books are arranged before the golu and puja is done for all the books, musical instruments, home appliances,electronic devices, electrical devices ,vehicles by applying turmeric and kumkum. After the pooja and offerings we dont read or use these items the entire day unless it is very much neccessary.The next day , the tenth is Dussehra or Vijayadasami . On this day we do aarthi to all the books ,other instruments and start using them. This day is considered very auspicious to start something new.Students go to offer obeisance to their teachers on this day and learn something new.
This sloka of goddess Saraswathi is recited while offering prayers:
Saraswati Namasthubyam varade kāma roopini
Vidyarambham karishyami sidhir bhavathume sadha
This sloka means to offer our prayers to Saraswathi devi to help us complete the task we are starting today without any hurdle. Goddess Saraswathi is known as the giver of knowledge and wisdom to all." Bagus thanked Kamala māmi and wrote everything in his journal.He stayed back and enjoyed the traditional feast made by māmi. That night he stayed back to know about Dussehra celebrations in various places. Kamala māmi has done her masters in Indian culture and traditions. She has indepth knowledge about the Itihāsās and Puranas. In the terrace Bagus settled down with māmi's family members, neighbours and friends to hear the stories from Kamala māmi. She continued to narrate about Vijayadasami. First she starts with Bijoya Dashami of West Bengal.
Bijoya Dashami of West Bengal
"Just as how Ramayana has significance to Dussehra the same way this day holds significance as the day of goddess Durga's victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura. This is the reason goddess Durga is called as Mahishasura mardini meaning the killer of demon named Mahishasura. This day marks as the final day of Durga puja after nine days of celebration. Beautifully decorated Durga idol is worshipped for nine days and immersed in water on the tenth day. It is said that goddess Durga's mother ,wife of Himalayas longs to see her daughter who resides in kailash with Lord Shiva. Goddess Durga is thus allowed to visit the Bhoo Loka
(Earth) for nine days after which she is sent back to Kailash. Bengal is known for its sweets and during this time of the year various delicacies are offered to the goddess and distributed to her devotees."
Shami Puja of Maharashtra
Kamala māmi offers the guests some sweets before continuing to narrate about the Shami Puja in Maharashtra."Shami plant has been an integral part of hindu's worship routine. This plant is known to bring in positivity and good vibration to the house in which the leaves are used in worship. This Shami plant has a major association with the great epic Mahabharata. Lord Krishna advices the Pandavas to hide their weapons behind the Shami tree to keep it safe. This leads them to be victorious in the Kurukshetra war. In Maharashtra, the Shami leaves are exchanged between people on vijayadasami day to bring in positivity as this festival is mainly to ward off evil and bring in prosperity.This exchange of Shami leaves honours the victory of Pandavas. Shami leaves are till now used in ayurvedic treament for curing diseases like diabetics , respiratory disorders and skin disorders. The Shami tree is worshipped like how Tulsi is worshipped in many parts of India."
Karnataka's carnival Dussehra
"Coorg is my favourite place and near to this place is Thala cauvery - the origin of the river Cauvery ", saying thus Kamala Māmi pauses for few seconds rejoicing her Coorg visit. She continues "Madikeri, a beautiful hillstation in coorg is a splendour to the eye. The usually calm and serene place becomes grand during times of Dussehra . During Dussehra processions of gods , goddess and even demons are organised. This carnival is celebrated with folk dances to honour Draupadi - The wife of Pandavas. This Carnival festival enhances the supremacy of Hāleri kings of karnataka belonging to the kingdom of Coorg which was previously called as Kingdom of Kodagu. "
"Mysuru in Karanataka is also known to have a unique way of celebrating this festival. The famous Mysore palace stands out illuminated in a grand way. Then royal procession is held around the palace and many cultural events are held . Travellers from various parts flock this place to watch the grandeur , get mesmerised and carry along loads of memories to share."
Telangana's Bathukamma
"I visited Hyderabad many times during Bathukamma and witnessed this beautiful celebration", said Kamala māmi.She continued while others were glued to her, "Bathukamma is celebrated widely in Telangana and some part of Andhra Pradesh. Bathukamma means 'the goddess comes alive ', Gauri devi is invoked during this celebration.This celebration starts on Mahalaya Amavasaya and goes on the entire Navaratri till Dussehra. Maha Gauri is worshipped as the bestower of womanhood. It is a flower festival celebrated by woman folks of Telangana.On these nine days nine different delicacies are offered to the goddess. There are many stories heard behind the celebration of this festival.Women get dressed according to the days colour theme in this order starting from the first day ,Yellow-Green-Grey-Orange-White-Red-Royal Blue-Pink and Purple.The flowers are beautifully stacked on a pot and arranged to look like a temple Gopuram. The decorated flowers are arranged together in a common place everyday and women perform kolattam , a folk dance around it . Then on the last day these flower decorated pots are submerged in water after a grand procession."
Gujarat's Garba Navrātra
"Dwarka has always been on my bucketlist and I wish to visit one day", saying so she continued about Gujarat's way of celebrating Dussera, "The colourful state of Gujarat shines out during this festival that they celebrate as Navrātra. The Garba which is also called as Dandiya is a traditional folk dance is performed in the honour of goddess Durga. This dance is performed using multi-coloured Dandiya sticks and with great energy, people continue to dance until midnight on all the nine days. Men wear Kedia and women wear Lehenga Choli, the traditional dresses of Gujarat. "
The Indian Capital's Ram Leela
"In Delhi , Dussehra is celebrated by setting the idols of Ravana, Khumabakarna and Meghnada on fire. This is celebrated to glorify lord Rama's victory over the demon king Ravana and his Allies.Ram leela is enacted by various artists on stage at various locations and people flock to witness Ramayana retold in the form of an act. Enacting of Ram leela is also popular in Lord Rama's birth place Ayodhya in Uttarkhand, Cities in Uttar Pradesh like Lucknow,Varanasi and kanpur. Rāvan Dhahan is performed at the end of the festival on Vijayadasami . A huge statue of ten headed Rāvan is set on fire marking the victory of lord Rama," explained Kamala māmi.
Punjab and Chhattisgarh Dussehra
My close friend Radha shared about Punjab and Chattisgarh Dussehra, Said Kamala Māmi before continuing ." In the state of Punjab , Dussehra is celebrated by fasting for first seven days and breaking the fast on the 8th day which is Ashtami. The people worship Durga devi in the form of Shakti and stay up late night singing songs in praise of the goddess. Bhandara/Feast is organised for nine small girls on this day. They believe that these nine girls are none other than Shakti herself. "
"Chattisgarh people celebrate Bastar Dussehra that connotes to the supreme power of goddess Danteshwari, The deity of Chhattisgarh tribe. During Dussehra the dwellers of Bastar organize special ceremonies and offerings at the Dansteshwari temple situated in Jagadalpur; a city in southern part of Chhattisgarh."
Dussehra of Kullu , Himachal Pradesh
"Its buttermilk time before continuing about Kullu Dussehra," saying so Kamala māmi offered glass of buttermilk to all."Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh celebrates Dussehra in a very grand manner and more than half a million people take part in the procession of Lord Raghunath . Just as in other parts , this festival marks the victory of good over evil and is dedicated to Lord Rāma's success in subotaging evil Rāvana. The deities are carried here by villagers from near by villages of Himachal to take part in the parade that happens in Dhalpur ground. Its a treat to watch this holy procession that happens for nine days during Navaratri."
Dashain of Nepal
"I have visited Shaligram, a place in Nepal flying in a Helicopter for the first time. Shaligram is one of the 108 Divyadesams of Lord Sriman Nārayana" Kamala māmi uttered excitedly and cointinued,"In Nepal Dussehra is celebrated by the name Dashain which means Vijaya Dasami in Sanskrit. This is a very important festival that is celebrated for 15 days starting from the first day of Shukla Paksha that comes after Mahalaya Amavasya until the Poornima. Youngsters take blessings from the elders of the family and students take blessings from the teachers on this auspicious day. The elders put red tika on the youngsters forehead and also give some money wishing them success in their life."
In a nutshell
"The good always overpowers evil. No matter how high the bad things seem to be shining up , they are pulled down by goodness in fraction of a second. Festival of Dussehra highlights the importance of righteousness that always stands tall .Let us all unite and support goodness and try to identify evil and ward it off from all sides." Saying so she wished everyone Happy Dussehra and Happy Vijayadasami. All of them thanked Kamala māmi for sharing her rich experience with great food and were amazed at her vast knowledge on this festival. Everyone understood the importance of this wonderful festival and how it is celebrated all over India in a pompous and a grand manner. Bagus carried back loads of memories to be shared about his India visit back in Indonesia.