Grand Finale to Dussehra festivities

[Guest guest]

Grand finale to Dussehra festivities

 

See the fabulous pictures that go with this story:

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14546563 & page=1

Sify News

Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007

 

The ten-day Druga Puja celebrations ended with the

immersion of the idols of Goddess Durga. The frenzied

immersion ceremony of the idols, complete with

elaborate processions, dance, beating of drums and lusty

cheers by youngsters, saw many parts of the country

making most of the carnival.

 

Idols in some of the old households of north Kolkata,

which observe the pujas in the traditional way, were

immersed early while big budget community pujas of

Kolkata often choose to immerse the idols a day or two

later. Babughat on the banks of the Ganges (Hooghly

river) was teeming with people who turned up in groups

to watch the grand immersions as chants of 'Balo Durga

Mai Ki Jay'(Hail, mother Durga) rent the air.

 

Women shed inhibitions to join the men in dancing

wildly to the beating of drums as the idols were

immersed.

 

In New Delhi, a sea of enthusiastic spectators broke into

a loud applause as the towering effigy of demon king

Ravana crackled in the fire. People jostled, pushed and

pulled to get a better view of the effigy-burning and

clapped with fervour. This was, after all, the moment

everyone waited for in celebration of Dussehra.

Celebrating the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana,

Dussehra symbolides the victory of good over evil.

 

A towering effigy of Ravana was set afire followed by

bursting of crackers as Kashmiri Pandits celebrated the

Dussehra in Srinagar after a gap of full 20 years. The

Kashmiri Pandit Sagharsh Samiti, an organisation of the

Kashmiri Pandits, restarted the celebration of the

popular festival in Kashmir as per the " age-old

tradition. "

 

Mysore hosted its famed Dussehra pageantry on Sunday

with thousands of people, including tourists, crowding

roads to have a glimpse of the 'Jambo Savari' or

elephant procession. The annual event drew an

estimated 500,000 people, including thousands of

domestic and foreign tourists to the grand finale that

culminates in a torchlight parade and fireworks after

sunset at the Bannimantap grounds across the city of

palaces. Celebrating the triumph of good over evil on

the day of the Vijayadashami, the pageant rolled out

from the Mysore Palace, with the caparisoned jumbo

'Balarama' carrying deity Chamundeshwari on the 750kg

golden howdah (throne).

 

Dozens of decorated elephants, camels and horses,

forming the main cavalcade with mounted mahouts and

royal guards put up a dazzling show, beckoning

spectators to join the celebrations in Mysore. Scion of

the royal family Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar,

his consort Pramodha Devi and other royal members

were the star attractions, recreating the grandeur of the

Mysore maharajas who ruled the princely state from the

18th century till Independence.

 

Vijayadashami is considered as auspicious to start

education. In many parts of the country, children were

initiated into learning. Even though it was a Sunday,

many schools were open to conduct the initiation

programmes.