The Legends of Dussehra or Vijayadashami (Dussehra and Diwali 2021) I Popular stories related to Dashain I

What is Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami and why it is celebrated?

Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami, Dasara, or Dashain) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is a gazetted holiday in India, which is marked on the 10th day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the month of Ashvin (Ashwayuja), according to the Hindu calendar there are many stories related to the celebration of Dussehra some of them are given below -

Dussehra is the festival used to celebrate the victory of Ram over Ravan the ten-headed king of Rakshasa (Ravan). 

          

This is perhaps the most popular tale that every  Indian uses to link it with Dussehra. When Sita was abducted by Ravan. Ram, along with his brother Lakshman his follower  Hanuman and an army of apes waged war against Ravana. The conflict culminated with the defeat of Ravana and his death in war. This happened on the day of Dussehra. It is this occasion that people celebrate by burning effigies of  Ravan. It just said that before Ram left for lanka. He had prayed to Durga for his victory. Durga who was associated with Shakti had blessed Ram. Another story that is associated with   Dussehra is the one  about Durga defeating the demon Maheshasur, when Maheshasur defeated all gods then Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva combined the powers and created  Shakti in the form of Durga, to destroy Maheshasur . the victory of Durga over Maheshasur is celebrated as Dussehra or Vijayadashami. After the three day celebration of the Durga Puja  the fourth day is celebrated as the  Vijayadashami. 

Durga fighting Maheshasura 

This is the last day of Durga Puja when the idols of Durga are consigned to  water . a lesser-known story that is associated with  Dussehra is that of the Pandavas after the Pandavas lost the game of dice to the Kauravas they were exile for 13 years. In the last year of their exile they had to live in disguise before they left to the forest, they hid their powerful weapons under the Shami Tree before after year they found their weapons under the same tree untouched and after this, they declared war on the Kauravas and also won the war against them since then the exchange of Shami leaves have become a tradition to exchange Shami leaves as it symbolizes victory and good-will  In many parts of India people worship the Shami tree on Dussehra according to another story in Ayodhya there lived a boy named Kautsa the son of a brahman called Dev-Datta. who had pursued his education from the Rishi Varatantu after the completion of his education the Rishi asked him for guru-Dakshina the rishi asked him for 1040 gold coins. Unable to pay his guru-Dakshina Kautsa requested the king to help him. His wish was granted when Kuber the god of gold showered gold from the sky. Kautsa collect the coins and gave them to his Guru and distributed the coins to the poor on the day of Dussehra.

Kuber the god of gold

The festival Dussehra also marks the beginning of the war season. It is said that in ancient times, Kings use this festival to cross borders and fight against enemies. This custom was known as Simolangham. The celebration of Dussehra in  India, however, started in the 17th century when the king of Mysore had ordered the celebration of the occasion on a large scale. Since then, the Festival of the  Dussehra has been celebrated with great pomp and enthusiasm. This festival is symbolic as it enables people to win over their fears and celebrate the victory of good over evil 

Is Dussehra a Public Holiday?

Dussehra is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed in India