October and November are usually an Indian feast atmosphere, where two main festivals are there: Dussehra and Diwali. Dussehra is a famous festival in India for nine nights and ten long days. This festival occurs in various forms in different parts of the country. It ends on the tenth day, called the Vijaya Dashami.
This festival celebrates good and triumphs over bad. The most popular reason to remember is Lanka’s defeat of Ravana by Rama. According to the Ramayana story, Rama is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the guardian. Rahwana, King of Lanka, kidnaps Rama Sita’s wife.
After hearing that Sita’s beauty – Rama’s wife – Ravana kidnaps her. Rama then starts a campaign to defeat Ravana and wants his kidnapped wife back. This whole Ramayana story is one of the Indian epic stories.
We all have fond beautiful feelings and experience of celebrating Dussehra in our towns and villages. Here are some of them.
The Dussehra Kick kicks off the holiday season, which means more family time and endless parties
You can see tons of Ravana photos taken on the streets or sidewalks while driving down the streets of your city.
Visit the nearest location in Dussehra for a 10-day storytelling session known as Ram-Lila.
And finally cried when Ravana walked in with a terrifying baritone, fancy jewelry, and a huge mustache! The focus of the recording is “HAHAHAHAHA.”
As compensation, your parents will receive gifts such as Dhanush or Mace toys! They make you as healthy as Mr. Rama or Hanuman.
Sit with grandparents and listen to them explain the real reason Dussehra celebrates.
Get a chance to dress up like Lord Ramas Vaanar Senna or various characters at your school celebration!
No Dussehra celebration is complete without a visit to Mela. You can find not only desi versions of the streets of fun like the Ferris wheel and carousels but also lots of street food and customs in every corner of the world.
Then there is the constant desire to see the image of Ravana burning and joy when it finally happens, and the fireworks go out!
Finally, we are back home with parents, full of delicious additions, full of souvenirs and sweet suffering waiting for Diwali
This festival celebrates in different ways in different parts of India.
11 Different Ways to Celebrate Dussehra/Durga Puja in The Different States of India
Kolkata Durga Puja
Start with West Bengal’s biggest festival, Durga Puja makes Kolkata city of fun. In Kolkata, Durga Puja is a once in a lifetime experience, from hopping between intricate mandalas and past large insects to performing Dhunuchi dances to fiery Dhaka rhythms.
While Kolkata’s public Durga Puja gets all the attention, you’ll find little-known yet unique experiences in the traditional Bonedi Bari Pujas that take place in the city’s mansions (like Sovabazar Raj Bari and Rani Rashmoni Bari).
Missouri Dussehra
According to local folklore, Missouri Dussehra is celebrated with great pomp and show to mark the event to believe in giving the city its name – killing the demon Mahisasura by the goddess Chamundeshwari (another name for Durga).
Since the deities worshipped as warrior goddesses, celebrations included military parades, sports competitions, and cultural performances.
Other highlights of the event include a special durbar at the brightly lit Missuru Palace (attended by members of the royal family, officials, and crowds) and the majestic Dussehra procession known as the Jumbo Safari.
Kullu Dussehra
In the ancient Kullu Dussehra, spiritual hunger and old beliefs harmoniously meld with the beating of limbs, the screams of Nursing’s trumpets, and the fresh Himalayan air.
More than 200 local gods and deities from neighboring villages were brought to Dhalpur Maidan to participate in Lord Raghunath’s war (stretcher and chariot procession).
Kullu Dussehra was founded in 1637 by Raja Jagat Singh (former ruler of the Kulu Valley) and is the only festival in India where so many gods gather in one place. What makes this festival unique is that unlike other locations, celebrations begin on Vijayadashami, the day the Dussehra celebrations end across the country.
Interestingly, this festival ends its celebration not by burning Ravan’s image but with the Lankadahan ceremony or burning of Lanka (symbolized by dry leaves, grass, and twigs) on the banks of the river of bees.
Hyderabad’s Bathukamma
Bathukamma, a festival of beautiful flowers dedicated to goddess Gauri, literally means “mother goddess, revive” in English. Celebrated in Telangana and parts of Andhra Pradesh, the festival begins with the worship of Lord Ganesha, followed by women dancing in colorful compositions.
According to Navratri, Bathukamma begins on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya and reaches its peak at Ashwayuja Ashtami (also known as Durgashtami). It follows by Boddemma, a 7-day festival that marks the end of monsoon and autumn emergence. Interestingly, each Bathukamma day, names after the type of food offered to the deity on that day.
Bastar Dussehra
A unique 75-day festival occurs in the heart of the Chhattisgarh tribe. Bastar Dussehra is fully 75-dated with nature, spirituality, and Devi Dan Chhattisgarh, chief deity of Best Dussehra. This tradition was started by the 13th century Bastar king Purushotam in Bade Dongar, the former capital of Kakati, near the present-day city of Jagdalpur.
The unique rituals of this centuries-old tribal festival include Pata Jatra (tree worship), Deri Gadhai (placement, Kalash staff), Kachan Gaadi (installation of the throne for Devi Kachan), Niche Jatra (night festival), and Muria Durbar ( chieftain’s conference) and, on the last day, Ohadi (Farewell to the gods).
Chennai’s Bommai Kolu
Come to Dussehra, and Chennai’s streets fill with colors (just a line of idols of gods and goddess Dussehra wooden cushions). While the colorful panels’ colors depict the goddess Durga’s encounter during her battle with the demon Colourful, they also depict other subjects such as episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Often, abstract concepts add stories to the table level.
Similar versions of this unusual festival celebrate with great enthusiasm in Karnataka’s neighboring states (Bom Habba) and Andhra Pradesh (Bommala Koluvu).
Varanasi Ram Lila
Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities globally, is famous for its Ram Lila, which has been practised next to Ramnagar Fort since the early 19th century (started by then Maharaja Benaras, practised by Singh).
Around the fort, the entire area turns into a stage with permanent structures depicting the most important history, such as Ayodhya, Lanka, Ashok Vatica, and others.
As actors (supported by music, masks, and giant paper mache characters) move from place to place as the epic saga unfolds, the audience moves along with them. Remarkably, the show hardly ever used microphones and speakers, even when the audience numbered in the thousands!
Madikeri Dussehra
Madikeri’s Dussehra is a colorful, carnival-like festival celebrated in the serene Coorg (Kodagu). Madikeri has a long history that dates back to the reign of the Haaleri kings. There are four shrines dedicated to the goddess Mariama (after this celebration, also called the Mariama Festival). Each has a unique karaga to perform during the festival.
There’s nothing like spending an entire night liskarada to music, tapping your feet in the cold mountain air, with frequent breaks to try spicy Manchurian gobi, panda curry, and of course, Coorgi coffee.
However, the leading entertainment is a noisy parade of 10 intricately crafted floats, with the mechanical characters of gods, goddesses, demons, and goblins featuring dramas based on old storylines.
Ahmedabad’s Navratri Mahotsav
The Navratri Mahotsav in Ahmedabad, the highly anticipated annual event on the Gujarati calendar, is celebrated with enchanting joy and enthusiasm.
Nine nights with a lively midnight buffet, energetic Garba dances, and colorful Chaniya choli, the colorful folk dances, the vibrant garb as the bright lights that decorate the city, make the city experience of Dussehra truly a dream.
Another reason to swing from Ahmedabad to Navratri is the legendary Gujarati Aarti dance performed in honor of the mother goddess. Thousands of people dance around the intricate arrangement honoring earth lights to celebrate the triumph of good over evil is a stunning sight.
We celebrate this festival as Navratri. Day and night mark as Aarti’s performances around the goddess Shakti’s statue, prayer offerings from the goddess Durga and the famous Garba folk dance.
Next time you’re here during Dussehra, prepare your “medias” and “lehenga-cholis” and immerse yourself in the infectious energy that envelops the city during the festival.
Delhi’s Ram Lila
Delhi has a bright festive avatar during Dussehra, with hundreds of special stages across the city for the musical Ram Lila performed by stage actors. The most popular place to see the same is the Ramlila Maidan, more precisely called the Old Delhi Exhibition.
It is a fact that this musical “Ram Lila” was started nearly 170 years ago by Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Suppose that isn’t exciting enough, of course, the limestone atmosphere that blankets the capital during Dussehra. Kanak Puja (with an offering of delicious halva chan cigars), the Navratri restaurant’s promotion, and the lighting images of the sky of Rahwana, Magnet, and Kumbhakarana on the last day are other things that people are looking forward to.
Kulasekarapattinam Dussehra
Kulasekarapattinam, an indescribable coastal town in Tamil Nadu, comes alive during the Dussehra Festival (also called the Kulasai Festival). The annual celebration revolves around the Mutharamman Temple (an important place of worship in the region). It is a stunning mix of music, dance, drama, and a repertoire of colourful costumes.
Another unusual aspect of the festival is the trance dance. Devotee colorful, beautiful costumes swing for hours into the night to follow the rhythm of the Tara Tapatata (clay jugs in their hands).
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