Dusshera

Dusshera

Dussehra (Vijayadashami, Durgotsav) is a Hindu

festival that marks the culmination of a 9 day
period of festivities called navratri (nine nights),
with Dussehra being the 10th. Generally speaking,
Dussehra is a celebration of the triumph of good
over evil but is also the beginning of the harvest
season in India and so people invoke the Mother
Goddess to watch over the new harvest season
and rejuvenate the fertility of the soil.

Copyright 2011 Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Dusshera

This festival is celebrated in all regions of

India but different communities choose to
observe it in different ways. The dates of this
festival are determined according to the lunar
calendar and hence it falls on a different date
of the Gregorian calendar every year.

Copyright 2011 Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Dusshera
Ancient Hindu mythology extensively deals with the struggle between good and evil, that is the struggle between the
asuras (daemons) and devas (gods). The navratri story is of
one such asura called Mahishasura, who invaded heaven defeating Indra and driving the devas out of heaven. The gods
decided to combine all their powers to create a powerful
being that would be able to destroy Mahishasura. The powerful being they created was called Durga and they bestowed upon her their super-weapons. Navratri is said to be
the 9 days of battle between Durga and Mahishasura where
the goddess finally destroyed the daemon on the 10th day.

Copyright 2011 Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Dusshera

It is also believed that on this day Ram, along with

Hanuman and an army of vanaras (monkey-like
humanoids) defeated the daemon Ravana. They
waged this battle in order to rescue Rams wife
Sita, whom the evil rakshasa had cunningly kidnapped and imprisoned in his palace on the
island fortress of Lanka.

Copyright 2011 Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Dusshera

Durga Puja is a prayer service offered to the goddess

Durga and is the primary form of how this festival is
celebrated. The largest celebrations of Durga Puja
happens in Bengal where worshipers set up elaborate pandals and install an effigy of the goddess
within it. During the 6 days preceding Dussehra,
people give offerings in the form of prayers, and
flowers. On the 7th day these idols are submerged in
a water body to symbolise the return of Durga to her
husband Shiva, who lives in the Himalayas.

Dandiya Raas is another way in which

people celebrate Dussehra. Dandiya is
a traditional dance played by men and
women who wield short sticks in each
hand, hitting them together to the
beat of a dhol. It is nicknamed the
sword dance because this dance form
is a mock-staging of the battle between Mahishasura and Durga. It originated in the state of Gujarat but has
become popular all over India.

Copyright 2011 Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Dusshera

In most parts of northern India and some parts of

Maharashtra, a popular way of observing Dussehra is
a re-enactment of the Ramayana called the Ramlila.
Since the Ramayana is an epic, only the highlights of
theRams life is featured and is timed such that the
battle scene between Ram and Ravana, with the ultimate defeat of evil occurring on Vijayadashami. On
the last and final day of Dussehra tall effigies of
Ravana, along with his son and brother are burned
with much pomp and show.

Project :
The gods from all ancient religions have super-weapons.
Find out the names of super-weapons wielded by gods from other
ancient religions and what their special powers are.

Copyright 2011 Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.