Shubh Vijaydashami and Happy Dussehra 2014

Dusshera is celebrated on the 10th day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin, or Ashwayuja which falls in September or October of the Western calendar, a few days or weeks before the largest Hindu festival – Diwali (Deepavali). The first 9 days are celebrated as Navami which celebrates Goddess Durga and culminates on the 10th day as Vijaydashmi. Many Hindus observe Vijaydashmi through social gatherings and food offerings to Bhagwan (another word symbolizing GOD)  at their home temple or community Hindu temples.

The Ramleela is an enactment of the life of Lord Shri Ram and most commonly performed as a play during the Nine days preceding Dusshera. On the Tenth day (Dusshera or Vijaydashmi), large representations of Lord Ravana, his son and brother – Meghnadh and Kumbhakarna are set to fire.

One derivation of the word Dusshera is from dashhara. ‘Dash’ means ten and ‘hara’ means defeated. Nine days before Dusshera, in the nine days of Navaratri, all the ten directions are saturated with the female deity’s (devi’s-Shakti) energy. ‘Shakti’ has control over creation in all the ten directions (dikbhav), attendants (gan), etc. That is why this day is known as Dashhara, Dasera, Vijayadashmi, etc. This is one amongst the three and a half auspicious moments (muhurts) of the year. This falls on the tenth day (dashami) of the bright fortnight of Ashvin. The immersion of the Navratri (female deity) is done on the ninth day (navami) or the tenth day. Four rituals namely crossing the territory (Simollanghan), worship of the Shami tree (Shamipujan), worship of the deity Aparajita (Aparajitapujan) and worship of instruments (Shastrapuja) should be performed on this day. Dussehra is the festival of Victory of Good over Evil. There are many variations to this feat, that are believed all across India. Dussehra is also referred to as the end of Navratri and Durgotsav, Dashahara, Dashain, Vijayadashami, Dashhara and Vijayadasami.

For many Hindus, Dusshera can also be a time of sorrow and fear. Over the year, many Vijaydashmi celebrations and its celebrants in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan have been attacked, vandalized or desecrated by groups of  Muslim extremists. Many of these attacks by extremists on Hindus were caused due to the large public gatherings that take place where Hindu symbols are present and are found offensive by some Muslim communities.

The Chakra team wishes everyone a happy and shubh VijayDashmi/Dusshera. Jai Shri Ram.

Here is a video of some fun Vijaydashmi celebrations in North India where Hindus are burning effigies of the evil King Ravana:

Happy Dussehra 2011

(CHAKRA) Dussehra is a major festival in Hinduism celebrated mainly in India, but also all over the world like Nepal, Trinidad, Guyana, Canada, USA and the United Kingdom.

Dussehra is celebrated on the tenth day of the Hindu autumn lunar month of Ashvin, or Ashwayuja which falls in September or October of the Western calendar. The first 9 days are celebrated as Navratri and culminates on the 10th day as Dussehra.

In India, the harvest season begins at this time and so the Mother Goddess is invoked to start the new harvest season and reactivate the vigor and fertility of the soil. This is done through religious performances and rituals which are thought to invoke cosmic forces that rejuvenate the soil. Many people of the Hindu faith observe Dussehra through social gatherings and food offerings to the gods at home and in temples throughout India and abroad.

Dussehra is the festival of Victory of Good over Evil. There are many variations to this feat, that are believed all across India.

In this day in the Treta Yug, Rama, also called Shri Lord Ram, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, killed the great demon Ravana who had abducted Ram’s wife Sita to his kingdom of Lanka. Ram, his brother Lakshmana, their follower Hanuman and an army of monkeys fought a great battle to rescue Sita. The entire narrative is recorded in the epic Ramayana, a Hindu scripture.

Lord Ram had performed “Chandi Homa” and invoked the blessings of Durga, who blessed Ram with secret knowledge of the way to kill Ravana. On the day of Ashvin Shukla Dashami, Ram’s party found Sita and defeated Ravana. Thus it is termed as Vijaya Dashami. Based on the inferences from Balmik’s Ramayana, Kalidas’s Raghuvans, Tulsidas’s Ram Charit manas, and Keshavdas’s Ram Chandra Yas Chandrika as well as common perception in India, Ram, Sita, and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya on the 30th day of Ashvin (19–20 days after Vijayadashmi). To mark the return of Lord Ram, in the evening, the residents of Ayodhya lit their city with millions of earthen lamps (called Deepak). Since then, this day is celebrated in India as Deepawali or Diwali.