Vijayadashami, also known as Dussehra, is a festival celebrated all over India and even overseas. The festival signifies the triumph of good over evil and right over wrong. The festivity happens with great fervor, and it has different legends related to it.
Vijayadashami is also known as Navratri because it is the tenth day after nine days of Navaratri. So the festival takes place as a part of Navaratri as well as a standalone occasion.
Legend Related to Vijayadashami
In the Puranas, it is written how once demons or asuras were troubling the entire mankind and heaven as well. The demon king Mahishasura was trying to take control of heaven since he was blessed by a boon that he couldn’t be killed by any man.
After getting the boon after a long austerity, Mahishasura was filled with pride, and he started seeing himself as the most superior power in the universe. He made the whole environment chaotic, and due to his boon, no God was able to kill him. This went on for many days when one day, all the Devas approached the Trinity Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
They requested them to disappoint the intentions of Mahishasura and put an end to his evil acts. The Trinity knowing his boon, came up with a solution, and they combined their powers to create the supreme Shakti or female power named “Durga.”
A powerful beam of lightning emerged from the mouth of the Trinity, which created a young and beautiful female with ten hands. All the special powers and weapons were given to the Goddess by the Trinity. This Shakti then got her mount as a Lion and stepped further to destroy Mahishasura.
It is said that it was one of the greatest battles since it was not easy to defeat Mahishasura. As a result, the war went on for days and nights; on the tenth day, the Goddess was able to set her triumph finally by killing the demon and his army. Since then, the tenth day has been known as Vijayadashami, which means the tenth day of victory. People celebrate it every year to invoke Maa Durga and to celebrate his victory.
Festivities in Telangana
There is a Durga temple in Warangal near Bhadrakali Lake. This is one of the 18 significant temples dedicated to Goddess Durga. On occasions like Vijayadashami, the temple receives thousands of devotees who visit the temple just to get a glance of Maa Durga.
Here at Alampur Jogulamba Temple, Sharan Navaratri is a popular festival. The eye-catching event is the boat festival that a major crowd of devotees enjoys. This happens on the day of Vijayadashami, where the Sangam or union of Krishna and Tungabhadra happens.
A clay pot is made and decorated with flowers; many young women play Bathukamma, and they dance around it. The festival is celebrated with all enthusiasm and great fervor in the state of Telangana. It goes on for nine days and is finally celebrated on the tenth day. Here they adorn the Goddess all nine days with different dressing and themes; they call this avataras Mahishasura Mardini, Bala Tripura Sundari, Raja Rajeshwari, Annapoorna, Kali, Kanaka Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Gayatri Devi.
This brings a time of great joy to people living in Hyderabad and urban regions. They seek their way to home to their ancestral living place, which are in rural areas. All these days, people enjoy the environment and sense peace and calmness due to the days of Maa Durga. Many vibrant, celebratory hues take place, and people enjoy the charm of the whole environ.
The bride’s family also invites the newlyweds and gives them gifts and accord care. Students also give significance to the ninth day of Navaratri. They take their books out, and workers take their tools out to worship them as a part of Durga Puja or Ayudha puja.
Women and children enjoy making “bommala koluvu,” which is about arranging dolls and toys along with flowers and lamps. Many families in Telangana also perform Saraswathi Puja on this day. All in all, Vijayadashami is highly auspicious in all parts of India, where devotees worship all nine forms of Goddess Durga and celebrate her victory on the tenth day. Surely the rituals might differ as per region, but Maa Durga remains as the Goddess that unites everyone in the colors of this day.
