Dasara Or Dusherra is celebrated as Navratri (nine days). According to Hindu calendar it begins in the month of October (asveja masam). This festival is fully dedicated to Durga Mata and in these nine days she will be worshiped in her nine forms and at the end of the (9th day) 10th day will be celebrated as (Vijayadasami) Dasara
Dasara is most popular in the west Bengal (Eastern) part of India and this is their major festival. The first 3 days will be worshiped in the form of Durga Mata and the next 3 days will be in the form of Saraswati and the final 3 days will be in the form of Lakshmi.
Normally the fifth day of Navratri will be worshiped for Saraswati (Goddess of knowledge) to invoke our spirit and knowledge.
STORIES
Navratri is a combination of various themes with the common summary is victory of good over bad. Some opinion that this festival is celebrated when the lord Rama killed the Ravana. According to Puranas the mighty demon Mahisasur vanquished the gods and their king, Indra. They then approached the Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar, who decided to destroy the megalomaniac demon, so they all combined their energy, and gave rise to Shakti. They all prayed to the divine mother Durga to do the needful. Equipped with lethal weapons, riding a ferocious lion, the Goddess in all her awesome majesty, vanquished the evil one without much ado. The 10th day on which the goddess kills Mahisasur, is celebrated as Dusshera or Vijayadasami as the victory of good over evil. Dasara (tenth day) is one of the significant Hindu festivals, celebrated with much joie de vivre in the entire country.
Celebrations
The festival is also celebrated with intense fervor and zest, in whole India, in the form of Durga Puja. The vibrant festivities last for ten days, of which nine nights are spent in worship, 'Navaratri'. But this festival varies from place to place.
EAST
In West-Bengal, Navratri is the real lyrics of the Bengali life. This festival is essentially religious in nature. It is celebrated with true devotion. In the time of Durga Puja huge idols of the Mata Durga posed as killing the demon Mahishasura are worshipped in everywhere of the state. Huge
'Pandals’ are set up everywhere to worship Durga Mata (Goddess Durga). The tenth day is devoted to the worship of goddess Durga. She is Shakti, the cosmic energy that animates all beings. Beautiful idols of the Mother Goddess are worshipped in elaborate pandals for nine days, and on the ninth day, these are carried out in procession for immersion (visarjan) in a river or pond.
WEST
In Maharashtra, Navratri celebration is slightly different than other states. Here Navratri are dedicated to Goddess Durga while the Vijayadasami is dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. This day is considered auspicious to begin education, buy new homes, start new ventures, and weddings. The Dasara of Mysore is also quite famous where caparisoned elephants lead a colorful procession through the gaily-dressed streets of the city. During Navratri Chamundi, the royal deity of the Mysore royalty is worshipped with pomp and pageantry.
NORTH
In the Kulu valley in Himachal Pradesh, the hill- folk celebrate Dasara with a grand mass ceremony wherein village deities are taken out in elaborate processions. In Punjab, Navratri is taken as a period of fasting.
SOUTH
In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, women arrange 'Bommai Kolu', a special placing of dolls in various costumes decorated with flowers and ornaments on specially prepared steps. Nine young 'kanyas' or virgins are offered new clothes and sweets as the goddesses and married women share flowers, kumkum and snacks among themselves.
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