Dussehra

Today is Dussehra Festival and it is celebrate across India with pomp and gaiety. The festival commemorates the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana which also symbolises victory of Good over bad. Vijayadashami, also known as Dussehra, "Dashain" in Nepali, is a festival celebrated across Nepal and India. It is celebrated with great fanfare in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, Dussehra witnesses fervid celebrations for one whole week. The history of Kullu Dussehra dates back to the 17th century when the local King Jaganand brought an idol of Lord Raghunath from Ayodhya and installed it on his throne as a mark of penance. After this Lord Raghunath came to be known as the ruling deity of the Valley, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Mysore in Karnataka and slightly differently as Durga pooja in West Bengal. It is the climax of nine day long festivities during the Navratri It is celebrated on the tenth day of the bright half of the Hindu month of Ashwayuja or Ashwina, and is the grand culmination of the 10-day annual festival of Dussehra or Navratri. The festival is celebrated with zest and festivities as it also marks the beginning of the winter season after the long, unbearable, hot summer. In north India, gigantic effigies of the ten-headed Ravana and his brothers are set aflame amidst bursting of crackers. It is also considered to be an auspicious day to begin new things in life. Apart from the legend from the epic Ramayana, and the story of the triumph of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura, a vibrant history is associated with Dussehra festival-

• The celebration of Dussehra is rooted in the Hindu epic of Ramayana, according to which, Lord Rama, the eight incarnation of Lord Vishnu, killed the ten-headed demon Ravana.It is widely held that the festival actually commemorates the killing of the great demon king of Lanka, Ravan, by Lord Rama. The epic mentions how Lord Rama, the god-incarnate, went to serve a period of exile for 14 years under the order of his father. Along with his devoted wife Sita and his faithful brother Lakshman, Rama faced many hardships during this period prominent among which was the abduction of Sita by the ten-headed Ravana. On a similar day as Dussehra in Satyug, Ram (the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu), is said to have killed Ravan, who had abducted his wife Sita. With brother Lakshman, follower Hanuman, and an army of monkeys on his side Rama fought a great battle for ten days to rescue his wife. Since then, the observance of Dussehra is more in admiration of Lord Rama than Goddess Durga. The word "Dussehra" can also be interpreted as "Dasa-Hara", which stands for the cutting of the ten heads of Ravana by Lord Rama. Dussehra is celebrated by many people of Northern India to commemorate this victory of Lord Rama, which later came to be known as Vijayadashami or Dussehra.
• Another legend is connected to Goddess Durga. According to the story, all the Gods and the living beings on earth were upset by the tyranny of the demon Mahishasura, because he had acquired invincible power to conquer the world. He was undefeatable, even by the mighty deities - Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Therefore, all the Gods decided to create a power, which would destroy Mahishasura, freed the living beings from his despotism and restore the heaven to them. This gave rise to the creation of Goddess Durga, an avatar of Maa Shakti. With the weapons given to her by the Gods, Goddess Durga went to fight against Mahishasura. She defeated the demon, successfully, and restored the heaven to the Gods, as promised. Her victory is celebrated as Vijayadashami or Dussehra, by many people following Hinduism.
• Another legend associated with this auspicious occasion is the story of Kausta, the youngest son of Devdatt. After successfully accomplishing his study under the guidance of Rishi Varatantu, he requested his mentor to accept any gift as Gurudakshina. Though initially Rishi Varatantu refused the offer but afterward he asked for one hundred million gold coins for each of the subject taught, as Kausta learnt several subjects, it amounted to 140 hundred million gold coins. To keep his promise Kausta asked King Raghu for the money, who was renowned for his generosity. With the help of Kuber, the God of wealth, he brought a shower of gold coins near the shanu and apati trees. After giving what his guru asked for, the rest of the coins were distributed among the poor and needy people on the day Dussehra. Since then, people of Ayodhya pluck the leaves of apati tree and present each other as 'sona' or gold on Dussehra.
• Dussehra festival is the day to worship the weapons as well. Another legend connected to the origin of Dussehra finds place in the greatest Hindu epic - Mahabharata. According to a story, Pandavas were banished by Kauravs for 12 years and 1 year of disguise, because the former were defeated in gambling (chausar) by the latter. Subsequently, Pandavas decided to spend their first 12 years of exile in the woods and the last year in disguise. Since they were asked to remain incognito during that period, Pandavas did not want to be exposed to others. Therefore, they lay aside their divine and powerful weapons during the exile. They concealed their weapons under the shami tree, situated close to the place of their residence. At the end of every year of the exile, Pandavas came to the shami tree to check whether their weapons were there.Whenever Pandavas approached the tree, they worshipped it and Goddess Durga, the presiding deity. In the mean time, Kauravs were making every attempt to trace Pandavas, so that they could extend the exile time, because it was said that if they were found, they would have to spend another 12 years in the woods. However, the Kauravs could find the Pandavas only past the stipulated time. Subsequently, the Kauravs went to the shami tree, fetched their concealed weapons and went straight to the battle field to fight the Kauravs. Pandavas emerged victorious. The event took place in dasami and since good had achieved victory over the evil, it came to be known as Vijayadashami. Since then, people hug each other under the shami tree and exchange its leaves.

Dussehra celebrates the victory of good (Rama) over the evil (Ravana). This is the reason why effigies of Ravana, Meghnatha and Kumbhkarna are burnt on Dussehra, all over northern India. Apart from this, Vijayadashami also symbolizes the victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura, the demon who held the earth and the swaglok (heaven) with his tyranny and invincible power. Hence, it can be said that two legends are connected to the celebration of Dussehra are very close to the reality of festival. In Today time ruler like lord Rama is needed by India who effectively with his charisma solve the problems of corruption, adulteration, inflation, terrorism and poverty of Indian.