Dassera -- Introduction

[Guest guest]

Dassera -- Introduction

The festival of Dassera, also known as Vijayadashmi, is one of

the fascinating festivals of India and is celebrated with joy and

enthusiasm for ten continuous days. The first nine nights are

spent in the worship of goddess Durga and hence these nights

are known as "Navaratri". This festival falls in the month of

Ashwin (September / October). The tenth day of the Dassera day

is in honour of Durga Devi. The tribal communities also worship

Durga as the presiding deity of Navaratri. The farmers invoke her

blessings because this festival coincides with the period of rest

and leisure after their strenuous work in the fields. The farmers

with her blessings wait with tremendous hopes for a bountiful

harvest.

 

Dassera festival is also known as Durgotsav and during the ten

days, the many splendoured goddess Durga is worshipped in

one of her many forms differently in different regions. With

religious rituals and chantings of mantras followed by "KATHA"

or story-telling told by Pandits who by reading passages from

religious texts awaken religious fervour in the minds of the

listeners.

 

 

 

In Bengal and the neighbouring states of Assam and Orissa

Durga devi is worshipped by name of Kali as a symbol of Shakti

before whom animal sacrifices were made. Her dance of

conquest is famous in our ancient texts. As per the orthodox

Hindu conceptions, the personality of one deity cannot be entirely

separated from that of another. As such in some regions all the

three principal goddesses - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are

worshipped during this festival, each for 3 days of the Navaratri.

 

Dassera day is considered a most auspicious day. It is a

time-honoured belief that if any new venture is started on this

day, it is bound to be successful. Hence, all the undertakings be

it laying-in of foundation of a new building, opening of a new

commercial establishment or even initiating a child into the

world of learning- are started on this day. Also on this day

implements of agriculture, manufacturer's machines, the

intellectuals pens, the household articles, the children's school

books are placed before the idol of Durga and worshipped.