Dussehra –  victory of Good over Evil !

Dussehra celebration is about victory of good over evil ! While this is the essence the festival takes different forms in different parts of the country. Isn’t it amazing that there are more than 12 different types of Dussehra celebrations in India? What remains the same is of course is the core ethos and the festive mood- a festival about food, stay away from food for those who fast during Navratri and of course festivity and grandeur.

The Dusshehra festival in different parts of the country either centres around Shakti (goddess Durga), or Rama’s victory over Ravana, who is believed to be a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. The Vijaya Dashami day ( 10^th day of victory) is celebrated either to commemorate the killing of the demon Mahishasura by Goddess Durga, or it is about the destruction of Ravana, by Lord Rama.

It is quite amazing that how different regions in India have different kind of a celebration for the same festival. And, in a state like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, there are 2 different types of Dussehra celebrations. Here is a list of some of the different types of  Dussehra celebrations in India

• Durga Puja (Pujo) : West Bengal, Orissa, Tripura, Assam

Durga Puja reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess, Durga. While it is a ten days long festival   Durga Puja is celebrated with fanfare for 5 days , that is from Shashti to Dashami ( from 6^th to 10^th day). The Puja Pandals are an experience in itself. Infact in cities like Kolkata, there are Pandal (puja venue) hopping trips offered by the local cab drivers.

The festival marks the victory of goddess Durga against the demon Mahishasura. It is also in part a harvest festival celebrating the goddess as the power behind life and creation. Don’t forget to try the delicious Bengali food at these Pandals especially Sandesh, Rasgulla and Kathi Rolls.

• Ram Lila :Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh

Ram Lila is basically the narration of the Epic Ramayana with a lot of musical touch and performing arts. The North India dons a bright, festive avatar during Dussehra with hundreds of special stages set up in various parts of the states. Ram Lila maidan in Delhi is the most famous place to enjoy this. It is believed that this particular Ram Lila musical was started by Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar nearly 170 years ago. Another great place to enjoy Ram lila is at Varanasi ,one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Ramlila beside the Ramnagar Fort  has been on since the early 1800s, and was started by the then Maharaja of Benaras, Udit Narayan Singh. The entire set up is created to give a glimpse of Ayodhya, Ashok Vatika and other elements from the epic.

While the major part of Dussehra in North India is about Rama’s victory over Ravana, the Goddess Shakti is also worshipped through Kanjak Puja, where little girls are worshipped as the goddess and treated with delicacies in every household. The Dusshera celebration ends with burning of sky-high effigies of Ravana, Meghnatha and Kumbhakarana on the Vijaya Dashami day.Just like Durga Puja, the delicacies you should not miss out are the sweets and Navratri thali.

• Kullu Dusshehra: Kullu, Pradesh

  

Kullu Dussehra is an International Mega Dussehra festival, celebrated during the Dussehra time in Himachal Pradesh. Unlike other places, Dussehra at Kullu commences on ‘Vijay Dashmi’ day and continues for seven days. Over 200 local deities and demigods from neighbouring villages are brought to participate in Lord Raghunath’s rath yatra (a palanquin-chariot procession) to Dhalpur Maidan.

Its history dates back to the 17th century when local King Jagat Singh installed an idol of Raghunath on his throne as a mark of penance. After this, god Raghunath was declared as the ruling deity of the Valley. In Kullu, there is no Ravana dahan (burning of effigy of Ravana) , rather they perform the ritual of  Lanka Dahan by burning a pile of bushes.

On the first day of the celebrations, Goddess Hadimba is carried from the temple in Manali down to Kullu, from where she’s taken to the palace of the royal family. Later, in a procession she is taken to Dhalpur and is joined by the idol of Lord Raghunath or Lord Rama where they stay until the end of the festival with many more Gods and Goddesses.

 

• Mysore Dussehra:  Mysore, Karnataka

It is believed that Mysore derives it’s name from Mahishasura , who was killed by Goddess Chamundeshwari Devi (another name for Durga). As this is a celebration of victory , the festivities include military parades, sports competitions and cultural performances. The entire Mysore Palace is lit up and the Dussera procession that is a big convoy of elephants fill up the streets. It is also known as  Jumbo savari. Don’t forget to try the local sweet, Mysore Pak

 

• Navaratri (nine nights) with Garba & Dandiya : Gujarat

This is a nine day long festival in Gujarat. The entire state looks colourful. The nine days are dedicated to Nine avatars (forms) of Goddess Durga.  While worshipping Ma Durga and fasting is a key ritual, the other key highlight is Garba and Dandiya (folk dance of Gujarat)  performances throughout the night for nine days. All the locals join together in their traditional attire and dance to the tune of traditional folk songs.

• Bathukamma:  Andhra Pradesh/Telangana

This is a floral festival celebrated for nine days during Durga Navaratri.  In Telugu, ‘Bathukamma’ means ‘Mother Goddess come Alive’ .  Goddess Maha Gauri-‘Life Giver’ is worshipped in the form of Bathukamma. Bathukamma is followed by Boddemma, which is a 7-day festival,  marking the end of Varsha Ruthu.

Bathukamma is a beautiful flower stack, arranged with different unique seasonal flowers most of them with medicinal values, in seven concentric layers in the shape of temple gopuram. Interestingly, each day of Bathukamma is named after the type of food (naivedyam) that is offered to the deity on that particular day. Historically, bathukamma meant “festival of life” and was celebrated to thank Goddess Parvati for her blessings for the crop harvest and income she helped generate this (current) year and again ask her blessing for the next year.

 

• Bommai Kolu:  Tamilnadu

During Dussehra, one can’t miss the festive display of dolls or Kollu (Golu) in Chennai and other parts of Tamilnadu. These displays narrate a legend from ancient Hindu Epics or a folklore.   These brightly painted dolls are made by rural artisans from clay and other local materials. They are generally arranged in an odd number of padis (tiers) to narrate a story. From local wedding rituals and folk songs to contemporary heroes (such as Olympic medal winners), over the years, Bommai Kolu has transformed into an annual exhibition of creativity and innovation.

Kolu is also celebrated in other parts of South India, like Bombe Habba in Karnataka and Bommala Koluvu in Andhra & Telangana.   Hindu temples like the Meenakshi temple in TN,  arrange elaborate golu displays each year for Navaratri.

 

• Bastar Dusshehra: Chattisgarh

Celebrated in the tribal heartland of Chhattisgarh, Dussehra is a unique 75 days long festival.   The Bastar Dussehra is all about nature, spirituality and Devi Danteshwari (the presiding deity of Bastar). This tradition was started by the 13th century Bastar King Purushottam Dev in Bade Dongar the erstwhile capital of the Kakatiyas. Unlike other parts of the country where it is about Devi or Lord Rama, here the focus is also  on nature worsip. Some of the rituals of this festival include pata jatra (worship of wood), deri gadhai (posting of the pillars), kalash staphna (urn installation), kachan gaadi (throne installation for Devi Kachan), nisha jatra (nocturnal festival), muria durbar (conference of tribal chieftains) and on the last day, ohadi (farewell to deities).

• Punjab Dussehra , Punjab/Haryana

Also known as Navaratri, Goddess Shakti or Durga is worshipped during Dusshehra in Punjab. People observe fast during the day time for 7 days, which is followed Jagraata that is singing of devotional songs while staying awake all night long. On the eighth day (Ashtami), they worship nine girls as a symbol of worshipping the Goddess and arrange feast for everyone.  .

• Madikeri Dussehra : Madikeri, Karnataka

The Dussehra ( also called Dussera or dasara) celebration in the hill town of  Madikeri is known as Mariamma festival. It has a history of over a hundred years. It is a ten-day celebration, which is brought alive at 4 Mariamma temples by 4  Karagas and 10  mantapas.  Karaga means carrying a decorated vessel on head filled with filled with rice, nine types of grains and holy water. These four Karagas represent the “Shakthi Devathas” of the town.

The main attraction of Madikeri Dasara is the procession of Mantapas (each around 21 to 25 feet height). The procession starts on the 9th night of Dussherai and ends on the 10th morning of Vijayadashami. These 10 elaborately done up floats have figures of gods, goddesses, demons and goblins enact dramas based on Hindu mythology. There is a musical band in front of every Mantapa and the locals dance to the tune of music whole night.

 

• Kerala Dussehra: Kerala

Kerala has a unique way of celebrating Dussehra. Rather than worshipping Durga, the locals worship Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of learning. The students keep their books in front of herr idol for two days, along with other offerings likeg jaggery, sugarcane, and roasted paddy. the tenth day of Vijayadashami, a special puja is done after which only the books are taken back. Besides, cattle, vehicle, machines/appliances are also worshipped during the Dussehra period.

•  Kulasekarapattinam Dasara:  Kulasekharapatnam Tamil Nadu

Navaratri or Dussehra festival in Sri Mutharamman Temple in Kulasekharapatnam town (55kms from Tuticorin)  is a majestic affair attended by more than a million devotees. It is a 12 days affair vs 10 or 9 days in other parts of the country. The devotees participate in trance dance wearing different types of costumes to the pulsating beats of thara thappattam (with fire bearing clay pots in their hands) for hours through the night.

 

These were some of the different types of Dussehra celebrations in India, each with its own history and rituals . Dussehra is celebrated during autumn between September October as per the lunar calendar.  Irrespective of which part of India you are in, a different type of Dusshera celebration will welcome you.

Similar to Dussehra, Holi a festival of colours celebrated during the spring season also takes different forms in different parts of the country. Read about the different colours of colourful Holi.

For more such cultural  experiences in India, you could take a look at the article on  places of cultural interest in India.

India is not just about culture and spirituality. There are many more facets to this ancient land – culture, mystery, history, nature, wildlife and so on. Check out the travel packages representing the different facets of India travel.

For more such off-the-beaten track sights in India and the rest of the World, visit Beyonder Travel.