Dusshera Festival in India

Dusshera is a popular Indian festival, also known as Vijaydashmi (vijay means victory and dashmi means the tenth day). Dusshera is celebrated all over the country by almost every religion, and its the special festival for the Hindus. There is a mythological story behind the celebration of the festival as it is believed that on this day Lord Rama returned from 14 years of exile after killing the demon Ravana and rescued his wife Sita.

Dussehera is the festival that actually signifies the triumph of the good will. When we will see the celebration in the country then we can find that the festival is celebrated in different ways. Like I am taking up Northern India, here huge dummies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarana and Meghanath is placed in the vast ground and in that fireworks and crackers are placed inside the dummies.

Similarly if we see the parts of Eastern part of India this day is celebrated as the Durga Puja. The day is celebrated as the end of Durga Puja. The ten days celebrations of Durga Puja is named as Navaratri. This eastern part of the country the day of Vijaydashmi is dedicated to the goddess of strength that is Durga which is said to be the combined manisfestation of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh and from all other gods who created Durga to kill the demon Mahishasura and freed the world from terror. On this day of Vijaydashmi the idols of goddess is created. Similarly in the Southern part of India in Tamil Nadu and Kerela Vijaydashmi has the special significance. Although the day is celebrated in different ways in the country but the motive behind every celebration in this day is the same- to spread good will and to celebrate victory over the evil.

When it is Celebrated?
Dussherra is celebrated on the 10 th day of the famous Navratri festival, celebrated for nine days, according to the Hindu calendar 'Ashvin' (September- October). The festival is dedicated to the goddess Durga and to her nine forms. The last three days of Navratri is believed to be very auspicious and holy as goddess Laxmi and goddess Saraswati is worshiped along with goddess Durga.

Religious Significance of Dusshera:

The Dusshera festival has a special significance in the country. As India is diverse country therefore, the festival is celebrated in various ways. The northern part , involves the Ram Lila along with Navratra Puja, a drama that depicts the life of Lord Rama. On the tenth day of Ram Lila huge number of crackers are burnt and the dummies of Ravana and the two brothers Kumbhakarana and Meghanath is also burnt.


The country celebrates the festival in various ways as in West Bengal the day is celebrated as Durga Puja, and is celebrated in five days across the state. Devotees wear new clothes and celebrates the day with great enthusiasm. The cultural programmes, which takes place during the festival are popularly known as Dandiya Raas and Garba Raas, and people also observe Jaagran (waking through the night).

Legends of Dussehra:
As we all know that the festival has the various types of legends connected with them. In Hindu mythology the Lord Rama has killed the demon Ravana who has abducted his wife Sita with the help of his brother Laxman and his follower Hanuman and came home after the 14 years of exile. Therefore, the victory of Lord Rama is celebrated as Vijaydashmi.

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Teacher's Day on 5th September.

Teacher's day is a time of commemoration and celebration for Teachers. Different countries celebrate Teacher's day on various days of the year, in India 'The Teacher's Day' is celebrated on 5th September every year. It is the birthday of teacher and second President of India - Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. When he become the President of India, his students requested him to celebrate his birth day on 5th September. In reply Dr. Radhakrishnan said “Instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as “Teachers Day”.

Teacher's Day is a time of honoring your favorite teachers, surprising them with gifts and crayon scribbled 'I lOVE YOU's'.

Teacher's day holds the great significance in the heart of every student. It is the opportunity for the students to express the gratitude for the hardships the teachers bear in educating a child and preparing them to face the world. A number of ancient cultures pay tribute to the teachers as the Goddess. An old saying in India ranks teacher on the 3rd position even before the God : Mata, Pitha, Guru, Daivam, that means mother, father and Teacher is God.

Teachers shape up the life of the students as the educations received from the teachers remains with the students throughout their life, that helps them in taking the right decision and chasing the right path. Teachers spend most of their lives in teaching the students so they should always be respected. Teachers need encouragement from the society to feel that their commitment and devotion to students is rewarded.

Celebrating Teachers day is the historical tradition in India. The day is not granted as the holiday in India. On this very day students go to school, dress up like their teachers and take lecturers. As the day passes the students perform the regular activities that are practiced by the teacher's every day. Sometimes the teachers also sit in the class and behave like the students, to make the students realize what they go through every day.

The day strengthens the bond between the students and the teachers. Teachers day is the opportunity for the students to convey the message that we respect and care for our teachers as much as they do. Apart from the celebrations the day promoted the healthy interactions between the students and teachers. Very often we forget to thank our teachers. So Teachers Day nice time to tell how special they are for you.

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MAHA KUMBH FAIR 2010

The most awaited religious fair for the Hindus, Maha Kumbh, offers a one of a kind experience. Kumbh mela takes place in four destinations of the country namely Ujjain, Allahabad, Haridwar and Nasik, owing to the mythological significance that these places hold, with Allhabad being the most sacred destination and the only one where Maha Kumbh is held.

Prayag in Allahabad witnesses a gathering of millions of devotees from all over the world during the Maha Kumbh. These also include Naga Saints, Urdhwavahurs, Parivajaks, Shirshasins, Kalpvasis etc who believe in taking severe penance to reach their ultimate goal of salvation. One can see priests performing yagyas, bathing in the Triveni waters, saints having long matted hair and skin covered with ashes, meditating for long hours on their heads.

TIME AND DURATION:

Maha Kumbh takes place once in every 12 years, the next one lined up in 2013. The festival goes on for more than a month, with Amavasya being the most important day for the holy dip into the Triveni waters.

MYTHOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:

The origin of Kumbha Mela has been linked to the formation of the Universe with Samudra Manthan. It is believed that Gods were losing their powers, as a result of a curse, which made them lethargic and rendered them incapable. It was at this time that the creator of Universe, Lord Brahma, announced that only amrit or nector stored deep within the ocean can bring back their powers. For this, the Gods decided to churn the ocean using a mountain called Meru, as a churning stick and a snake named Vasuki, as a rope.

It was a tedious task which the Gods could not accomplish alone, so they decided to take the help of demons. They played a trick on them and promised them their share of nectar if they made their contribution. The demons agreed and as a result of the exercise, they successfully excavated nectar out of the ocean.

When Gods attempted to run with the amrit, demons fought for it, which led to falling of some drops of nectar on Earth at four places, namely Allahabad, Ujjain, Nasik and Haridwar, where Kumbh fair takes place every year. Gods drank the nectar but its droplets are still considered to be present in these sacred places, one of it being the Triveni waters of Allahabad.

RITUALS:

The site where the Maha Kumbh takes place, once in fourteen years, is called the Triveni Sangam, which is the point of confluence of the three most sacred rivers of India namely Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. The water is considered to have droplets of nectar that fell during the formation of Universe and it is a famous belief of the people that a bath in its waters can cure several diseases and can free humans from the cycle of birth and death. A scientific reason for the healing properties of the river waters in that during the time of Maha Kumbh, Triveni waters are positively charged by electromagnetic radiation of the Sun, Jupiter and Moon.

Apart from the most important ritual of the fair, the holy bath, devotees also engage themselves in singing devotional songs and participating in morning and evening artis. Feeding the priests, saints and the poor is also considered as a sacred exercise that purifies one's souls.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS:

Apart from the Kumbh and Maha Kumbh fairs that make Allahabad the holy place of attaining Moksha or Salvation, the city is dotted with some of the most important tourist attractions of Uttar Pradesh. Someshwar Temple, Hanuman Temple, Nagbasuki Temple and Patalpuri temple are the important Hindu temples located in the city. Allahabad Fort which dates back to the 16th century, is one of the best examples of Mughal forts. Anand Bhavan, with rich historical memoirs of the Nehru family and the Allahabad Museum with its archaeological jewels of the 3rd century AD can give the traveler an insight into the various layers of Indian history.

The most important dates are 14 Jan, 12 & 13 Feb, 15 Mar and 14 April 2010

Please read the important details - http://www.kumbh2010haridwar.gov.in/bathdates.htm

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