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Introduction
In the calendar of Hindu Festivals, Dussehra is a significant one. Like other parts of the country, amongst the various Fairs and Festivals of Rajasthan, India, Dussehra is also celebrated with much fanfare. This festival is also called by the name of Vijay Dashmi.
History
Dussehra has the legend of Sri Rama and Ravana attached to it. Ravana was a powerful demon who was killed by Sri Rama as a punishment for abducting Sri Rama's wife Sita and taking her to his kingdom in Lanka. Sri Rama had great belief in the powers of Goddess Durga. So, he prayed to Her, nine days at a stretch, before entering the battleground on the 10th day.
The word Dussehra is a combination of two words- 'Dus' which stands for 'Ten' and 'Hara', referring to 'annihilated'. It is believed that Lanka's king Ravana had 10 faces. These 10 faces were symbolic of the 10 evil aspects of his character. So, Dussehra is celebrated as that day in which these 10 facets of Evil were wiped out.
It should be kept in mind that Ravana, besides being a great scholar, was also a great worshipper of Lord Shiva. His weakness turned out to be his desire to possess Sita. This was the reason that finally led to his destruction. However, it is a thing of surprise that Ravana's enmity and therefore a kind of obsession with Sri Rama led him to his liberation. Hindu Scriptures assert that you can think of the Lord in any way that you please- you may offer prayers to Him, talk to Him, complain to Him, Fight with Him etc. It would be your obsession with the Lord that would liberate you from the somewhat perennial Wheel of Life and Death. The holy scriptures even suggest that Sri Rama could not wound Ravana while this demon had his mind fixated on Sri Rama. The destruction of Ravana came in at that moment when his concentration got unfocused, albeit for a short time.
Description
As Ravana was conquered on the 10th day, Dussehra is also celebrated as Vijay Dashmi, "Vijay" referring to victory and "Dashmi" stands for 10th day. Like other parts of India, people of Rajasthan also celebrate this festival with lots of passion and fervor. On Dussehra, people worship weapons while remembering to utilize them in a wise manner. People also worship Mother Goddess, the embodiment of 'Fight against Evil', during the preceding Navratris.
In some parts of Rajasthan, on Dussehra, there is a custom to exchange the leaves of the Apta tree. A legend is associated with this custom. There was once a king named Raghu, who was Sri Rama's ancestor. King Raghu was very generous. After a grand 'Yagna' (Prayer), the king distributed all his riches among the poor.
When Raghu had nothing more to give, it happened that a poor boy came to him and asked for alms. Finding no other way, Raghu attacked Kuber, the renowned God of Wealth. As wealth in the form of gold rained on earth, a quantity of it dropped on the Apta tree. Since then, the custom to exchange the leaves of Apta tree on Vijay Dashmi has been observed.
So, in order to observe the grand desert fanfare of the festival of Dussehra, book yourself for a tour to Rajasthan, India.
Indianholiday.com offers online information on Dussehra in Rajasthan, India. It also offers online booking for a tour to Rajasthan, India. To avail of this facility or for more information on different tour packages of India, please enter your queries in the form given below.
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