Dussehra in India: A Spectacular Experience

Dussehra is one of the famous festivals in India which falls in the month of October. Dassehra festive season is considered as very auspicious time for any new venture. Celebrated to mark the defeat of Ravana by Lord Rama, Dussehra symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. The Ram Lila - an enactment of the life of Lord Rama, is held during the nine-day-long festival of Dussehra. On the tenth day, larger than life effigies of Ravana, his son and brother - Meghnad and Kumbhakarna, are set on fire.

Significance of Dussehra:

• Dussehra is celebrated across India; it epitomizes the triumph of good over evil. The auspicious day - Lord Ram killed Ravan.
• As per Hindu calender, the festival falls in very auspicious month, good for any new ventures. Many people start their new business, works, house construction etc. It is considered as auspicious time to launch any new work.
• In India, business is incomplete without the worship of Goddess Dugra, the Goddess of Shakti. Every businessman once in a year worships Goddess Durga during Dussehra time. This is the perfect time for business people to restructure or rearrange their work place and worship the Goddess Dugra - the goddess of every trade.
• It is a festival of women in India, as the Goddess Durga is considered as the most powerful Goddess and Shakti. In west Bengal, married women worship Goddess for the well being of their husband and family members. They offer 'Sindur' the red color - symbol for married women, to the Goddess.
• Dussehra is festival of prosperity, wellbeing and growth. During the nine days celebration, goddesses Durga, Lakshimi, Kali and Saraswati are worshiped. The first three days are dedicated to Goddess Durga. The next three days are spent in worshipping goddess Lakshmi and the last three days are dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. The day after Navratri the festival of Dussehra is celebrated.
• The ritual of celebrating of Dussehra may differ from region to region, but goal remains the same - to worship Goddess Durga. This is a beginning of a new season of festivals, from Dussehra the season of festivals start. And this also good time as entry of winter, is very good for cultivation too.

Every nook and corner of entire country is being decorated. Pandals made of clothes and wood are the prime attraction in almost all places across the nation. It’s very good time for foreign tourists to explore festive India and experience the live celebrations. In particular, some states including West Bengal, Karnataka, Gujarat and Orissa, will be favorite destination of many because of their unique and attractive celebrations of Dussehra. Visit to these states during this festive time would be a life time experience for one.

West Bengal

In West Bengal, the celebration is unique of its kind. In the crowded city of Kolkata, you will come across many puja pandals. These Pandals are great examples of architecture and skill. Amazing in size, attractive in looks and moreover the perfect application of architecture planning, these Pandals attracts visitors in lakhs. The natives and tourists would love to watch these spectacular designs and capture them in their cameras. For natives, these Pandals are symbol of pride.

Karnataka

The city of palaces is decorated across ten days of the festival time. The most interesting place to watch during this festive time is the Mysore Palace. In night, it looks glorious and spectacular. Across the state you will come across many Pandals and decorations.

Gujarat

You will come across very live environment in Gujarat during Dussehra time. During the nine-day festival, there will be Garba, where people get together and dance. It would be very interesting to see the people of Gujarat in their traditional attire and dancing to the tunes of music beats. The dance and tunes will not let you sit calm; it will make you to dance with the rest. The dance itself is a life time experience for the people those have visited to Garba during this festive time. Dancers will holding sticks in their both hands and create sounds according to the tunes.

Orissa

Dussehra is also one of the major festival celebrations in Orissa as well. While the festive atmosphere is high across the state, in the city of Cuttack, it is celebrated with gaiety. Aroun 175 puja pandals are being created in Cuttack every year for this festival. This year, the prime attraction is three idols of the Goddess are being made from gold. You will catch the silver jewellery in the city as it’s famous for silver work. And the work is also seen during this festive time, as Pandals are also made of silver.