Dussehra, also known as ‘Vijayadashami’, ‘Dasara’ or ‘Dashain’, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is celebrated vigorously all across the country, with festivities involving lights, decorations, food, and colourful dresses. However, the celebrations vary across the different regions of the country.
Different ways of Dussehra Celebration in India.
1. Durga Puja, Bengal
Durga Puja or Dussehra in West Bengal gives the state its real identity. The festival transforms the entire state into a dynamic activity hub. The festival holds great importance in the lives of every citizen of West Bengal. Various theme based pandals are created where amazing idols of Goddess Durga along with other deities including, Ganesh, Laxmi and Saraswati are worshiped for 5 days. People desperately wait for this event from long. Such eagerness and excitement of worshiping Goddess Durga can nowhere be seen in India.
2. Garba, Gujarat
They celebrated the festival of Dussehra in Gujarat as Navratri. A long nine-day celebration where pandals are set in cities, you will find people dancing the entire night after aarti on traditional songs mainly stage performances by big Gujarati artists like Falguni Pathak and Gujarati celebrities. Men are dressed up in kedias and women are dressed up in lehenga choli and dance on traditional folk songs of Gujarat. . Navratri is a festival of color and joy for Gujaratis and you can enjoy some Gujarati food which is mouth-watering. It’s a different way to celebrate Dussehra in Gujarat.
3. Mysore
Mysore witnesses one of the most spectacular Dussehra celebrations in the country. Known as Mysuru Dasara, people celebrate Goddess Chamundeswari, another avatar of Goddess Durga, as the vanquisher of Mahishasura. The Mysore palace is beautifully illuminated, with 1,00,000 bulbs lighting up the grand building. During this procession, 12 trained elephants adorned with colourful attire are taken around the streets. One of them carries Chamundeshwari’s idol atop a golden mandap. The procession starts from the Mysore Palace to Bannimantap. Performances like traditional dances, musicals, and displays of swordsmanship can be witnessed throughout the procession – indeed a sight to behold. As it travels through the city streets, it spreads zeal and joy throughout the city.
4. Ravan Dahan, Uttar Pradesh
In the state of India, Uttar Pradesh people celebrate Dussehra as a mark of victory of good over evil by setting Ravan on fire to mark the historical day. When Raja Ram kills Ravan because he abruptly kidnapped her wife Sita. Ayodhya is a city in Uttar Pradesh where Raja Ram was born and has stories related to Raja ram. On this occasion, they set various towns in Uttar Pradesh with Ramleela pandal where 9 days of Ramayana are acted by artists. And on the tenth day, they do Ravn Dahan, which we call Dussehra, and victory of good over evil. Cities like Varanasi, Kanpur, Lucknow are the prime locations where these Ramleela pandals are set. This is a great example to embrace over traditional and aware our young generation of values and ethics of Raja Ram.
5. Kullu
In the 17th century, local King Jagat Singh installed an idol of Raghunath, an avatar of Lord Ram, on his throne on Dussehra and from then onwards God Raghunath was declared as the ruling deity of the Kullu Valley. The Dhalpur maidan, which is the major hub for celebrations, is beautifully decorated with flowers and lights. The celebrations start with an idol of Goddess Hadimba being carried from the temple in Manali to the palace of the royal family in Kullu. From there, the idol is carried to Dhalpur, along with an idol of Lord Ragunath, where they stay till the end of the festivities along with idols of other Gods and Goddesses. The maidan sees many cultural performances, fairs and exhibitions. On the last day, the idols are carried on a chariot to the Beas river, where they are immersed.
6. Ram Leela, Delhi
Delhi celebrates Dussehra as the defeat of Ravana by Lord Rama. Temples are decorated wonderfully on this eve and Ram Leela is one of the greatest appeals of the city. Idols of all three demons, including Ravana, Meghanad and Kumbhakaran are set on fire at various locations of the city. Most of the people in this city keep fasting of 9-days. Watching Ramleela – a theatrical version of the Ramayana in Delhi is a beautiful experience. There are many places in Delhi, where Pandals of Goddess Durga are created.
7. Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu state celebrates the festival in an entirely different way. They bring a special religious feel in this festival by worshiping Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Almost each house of Tamil Nadu arranges the popular doll shows during Dussehra. At this time, married women invite each to their homes in the evenings and gift them accessories related to matrimonial symbols. They also offer coconut, betel nuts and money to each other.
8. Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh celebrates this festival for 75 days, and in different ways, they worship Devi Danteshwari. Unique rituals to perform on Dussehra in this state are pata jatra (worship of wood), deri gadhai (installation of kalash), kachan gaadi (installation of the throne for Devi Kachan), nisha jatra (night-time festival), muria durbar (conference of tribal chieftains) and ohadi (farewell to deities) on the last day. In the region, people dress in traditional attire to celebrate this day.
