Durga Puja, Dussehra or Dasera Festival Celebration
When is Durga Puja / Dussehra in 2006? Dasera is on 2nd October in 2006.
Dussehra, Dasera, Durga Puja or Vijayadasami is celebrated to memorialize Rama’s victory over demon king Ravana who abducted the Rama’s wife Sita. This festival symbolizes a moral victory, as good prevails over evil.
In Delhi, in Ramlila maidan (ground) effigies of Ravana, Kumbakharna, his brother and son Meghnad are set ablaze by shooting arrows of fire at their effigies by a person who acts as Rama by putting on robes supposedly worn by him. He is accompanied to the venue by two persons who pose as Sita and Rama’s brother, Lakshmana.
The festival is celebrated as Durga Puja in West Bengal. The celebrations last for ten days. Durga idols are kept in pandals erected to facilitate worship of the goddess during this period. Goddess Durga personifies Shakti (life force). She was supposed to have slain the near invincible demon, Mahisasura. These idols are immersed in ponds or lakes on the ninth day. Goddess Durga’s vehicle is the lion.
In Tamil Nadu state, Navaratri (nine nights) celebrations take place. Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth) is worshipped for the first three days, followed by Goddess Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge) for three more days. And the last three days are dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga.
Goddess Durga is a manifestation of Devi, the mother goddess. The demon king, Mahisasura, became a threat to both mankind and Gods alike, thanks to a boon granted by Shiva who made him invincible. Only a woman could kill him according to a clause of the boon. So all the gods and goddesses united to form a supreme being in feminine form. This goddess was Durga. She vanquished Mahisasura. She protects mankind from all evil. That is why she has several hands, which brandish different weapons. Her vehicle is the tiger. She is also an incarnation of Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva.