Dussehra Festival: Celebration, Mythology and Conclusion
Introduction: Dussehra (also Dashahara, Vijayadashami, Dasara) is a major Hindu festival. The other name of Dussehra is ‘Vijayadashami?.
Dussehra festival generally falls around 20 days before the Diwali festival in the month of September or October.
Celebration: People celebrate Dussehra with all enthusiasm, pomp and show. Different people have their own distinct cultures.
The 10 day long battle between Prince Rama and Demon Ravana is enacted in dramatic form. This dramatic form of folk art is known as Ram-Leela. People of North India celebrate the Dussehra festival by depicting the fight of Rama and Ravana with the help of some masked dancers.
The paperboard made effigies of three principal demons of the Ramayana, the ten- headed Ravana, Meghanada and Kumbakarna are filled with explosives.
Rama burns the effigies with the help of fiery arrows. A fair is held on this occasion at various places.
Dussehra festival is also celebrated in the name of Durga Puja in the many parts of the country.
Mythology: There are many mythological stories behind the great Dussehra festival. Once upon a time, the Prince of Ayodha, Prince Rama undertook 14 yrs of exile. When the exile period was about to end, Prince Rama killed the demon King Ravana. Thereafter, Prince Rama returned to his kingdom (Ayodhya) along with his wife (Sita) and brother (Lakshman). Here, Prince Rama stands for the good (virtuous) and the demon king Ravana stands for the evil (vice). This is one of the reasons of celebrating the Dussehra festival.
There is also another story for the celebration of Dussehra festival. Dussehra festival is celebrated in the honour of Durga Maa who killed the demon Mahisasura.
Conclusion: Boys and Girls of the Schools and Colleges enjoy their holidays on this day. On this day, everyone put on their new clothes and enjoy the festival with great joy.
