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Hello All,

I wish you and your family, friends, near and dear........

A very happy, serene and joyful Dasara (Durga Ashtami/Maha Navami/Vijaya Dasami) wishes (28/09/09).

Dasara, also called "Dussehra", is among the most important festivals celebrated in India. It is also called as Navaratri (Nava ratri means Nine nights) and is a 10-day festival with the last day being Vijayadashami, the most auspicious day of Dasara. The Festival of Dasara concludes the festival of Navaratri, and the holy day also commemorates the triumph of good over evil. Forms of celebrations can take on a wide variety of manifestations, ranging from worshipping the Goddess Chamundeshwari (Durga) to exhibiting colorful toys on the festival days. There is a legend related to the exhibition of toys that is known as Golu (spelled Kolu in some regions). Since the goddess Durga needed tremendous power to kill the demon Mahishasura, all other gods and goddesses transferred their power to Goddess Durga and they all stood still as toys. To respect the self-sacrifice of these deities during the festival days, Hindus revere toys that are in shape of particular gods and goddesses.

Dasara usually falls in the month of September or October. According to a legend, Vijayadashami denotes the victory of truth over evil and was the day when the Hindu Goddess Chamundeshwari killed the demon Mahishasura. Mahishasura is the demon from whose name; the name Mysore has been derived. The city of Mysore, in Karnataka, has a long tradition of celebrating the Dasara festival and the festivities here are an elaborate affair and attract a large audience including foreigners. In Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, the festival is celebrated on the tenth day of the Ashwin (Ashwayuja) month (around October) according to the Shaka Hindu Calendar.

On the last day (Dasara day), the idols installed on the first day of the Navaratri are immersed in water. This day also marks the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana. When Rama had returned to Ayodhya after a very long period (14 years), there was a celebration for his return and the victory over Ravana. Also on this day, the Pandavas returned to their home after the one year incognito (living in disguise) exile period (Agnatavasa) they underwent following a preceding 12 year vanvas (Aranyavasa), or forest exile that was imposed on them. People visit each other and exchange sweets on this day and worship Aapta tree and exchange its leaves (known as golden leaves) as symbol of gold and wish each other a bright prosperous future.

There is a legend involving Raghuraja, an ancestor of Rama, Aapta tree and Kuber. There is also another legend about Aapta/Shami tree where the Pandavas hid their weapons during their exile. This tree then got famous as the golden tree and on this festival people exchange leaves of this tree as a celebration of happiness and victory over evil. People do pooja of books, gadgets, vehicles and weapons on this day (Ayudhapooja/Mahanavami). In Bengal, the festival is celebrated as Kali Puja or Durga Puja, while in Tamil Nadu, the festival incorporates worship of the Goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Shakti. The underlying tradition and mode of celebrating this festival is to celebrate the victory of the forces of Good over Evil. It is considered an auspicious day to begin new ventures in life.

Many many happy returns of the day.

All the best and take care….

With thanks, regards and best wishes,
G.Srikanth.