Vijayadashami also known as Dasara (also written Dussehra) and Dashain (in Nepali), is a festival celebrated in varying forms across Nepal and India. It is celebrated on the tenth day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu autumn month of Ashvin or Ashwayuja, and is the grand culmination of the 10-day annual Navaratri ('nine nights') festival. It is the largest festival in Nepal, and celebrated by Hindu and non-Hindu Nepalis alike.
Vijayadashami is also known as Dasara, Dashahara, Navaratri, and Durgotsav. It is celebrated in the lunar month of Ashwin (usually in September or October) from the Shukla Paksha Pratipada (the next of the New moon day of Bhadrapada) to the Dashami, or the tenth day of Ashwin.
In India, the harvest season begins at this time; and as mother earth is the source of all food, the Mother Goddess is invoked to start the new harvest season and to reactivate the vigor and fertility of the soil. This is done through religious performances and rituals which invoke cosmic forces that are believed to rejuvenate the soil.
On the day of Dasha-Hara, statues of the Goddess Durga are submerged in the waters of the river. These statues are made with the clay, and the pooja is performed with turmeric and other pooja items, which are powerful disinfectants and mixed in the river waters. This makes water useful for the farmers and yields better crops.
Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Hindawi (Hindu) Swarajya - Maratha Empire used to always worship Lord Shiva & Goddess Durga in the form of goddess Bhawani before any military expedition. Goddess Bhavani had blessed Shivaji Maharaj with her own sword called "Bhavani Talwar" on this blessed day.
Dasha-Hara is the festival of Victory of Good over Evil. Buses, trucks and machines in factories are all decorated and as Dasha-Hara is also treated as Vishwakarma Divas - the National Labor Day of India.
Veda Vyasa is considered as the foremost Guru and Vijayadashami is also celebrated as Vyasa puja.
Vijayadashami Recipes
This holiday marks the end of Navratri (9 nights). Vijayadashami (or Dussehra) is the tenth day on which many delicious Indian foods are prepared! The favorites are any kind of chundal or vadai.
