The greatest rituals or ceremonies, which being celebrated by the Hindu people throughout world are Durga Puja, Dussehra and Diwali 🪔.Dussehra is popularly known as Vijayadashami. Dussehra is celebrated at the conclusion of the Sola puja or Navratri. This year, the sola puja has been started from 8.10.23. Navaratri is started from October 15, 2023, and is ended on October 23, 2023 ( the day of Maha Navami) . The Dusshera is to be celebrated on October 24th, 2023. Dussehra or known as Vijayadashami and its celebration commemorates Lord Rama’s triumph over Ravana. It also commemorates Goddess Durga’s victory over Mahishasura, the demon. On this day, of Dusshera, fireworks and the burning of Ravana effigies are common celebrations representing the defeat of evil. Dussehra, the tenth day of Navratri, or 17th day of sola puja, the conclusion of festival honoring all incarnations of Goddess Durga. Some people celebrate it to remember Goddess Durga’s triumph over the monster Mahishasura, while others link it to the great battle of the Ramayana. Diwali festivities take place after Dussehra . Twenty days after Dussehra, one of the most significant and extensively observed ceremony/ ritual , is Diwali, which commemorates Rama’s return home following his victory over Ravana. Diwali, also spelled Divali, is one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The name is derived from the Sanskrit term dipavali, meaning “row of lights.” The festival generally symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. Goddess Kali Puja is celebrated on the day of Diwali festivity. While most people in India worship Goddess Lakshmi on Amavasya Tithi during Diwali, folks in West Bengal, Orissa and Assam worship Goddess Kali on new moon day, the most important day of Diwali. In most of the years, Diwali Puja and Kali Puja falls on the same day but in some years Kali Puja might fall one day before Diwali Puja. For Kali Puja, the day when Amavasya prevails during midnight is considered while for Lakshmi Puja the day when Amavasya prevails during Pradosh is considered. In West Bengal, Orissa and Assam, the most important day to worship Goddess Lakshmi falls on the full moon day in lunar month Ashwin. Lakshmi Puja on Purnima Tithi in month of Ashwin is known as Kumar Purnima and more commonly known as Dhenkanal Lakshmi Puja. Kali Puja is also known as Shyama Puja. The primary message of Dussehra is that good triumphs over evil, and people pray for prosperity and good health on this day. The following places of India and outside the India to see the best Dussehra celebrations :
1. Mysuru Dasara. Mysore Dasara is full-blown spectacle, it combines royalty and splendour, custom and tradition, pomp and show, gaiety, music, dance, fun and frolic with a bit of modernity thrown in. The whole city, especially the beautiful Amba Vilas Palace, is decorated and illuminated for ten days. Its history goes back more than four centuries to the time when Mysore was under the rule of the Vijayanagara empire. The festivities kick off with a traditional puja of the presiding deity — Chamundeshwari on Chamundi hills. Each day, the scion of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom, Yaduveer Wadiyar, holds a ceremonial darbar complete with courtiers and costumes. On the last day, Vijayadashami, an elaborate procession of elephants, vintage cars, floats, marching bands and others winds its way through the city and ends with a stunning torchlight display. During the ten days, there are dance, music, theatre and folk performances across the city, poetry readings, sports events, a youth festival, an expansive fair in the Dasara Grounds, aerial displays, and a plethora of events and activities.
2. Vadodara: Navratri garba in Vadodara. In Gujarat, Dussehra or Navratri is all about dance. Quite literally. For the entire period, people gather as communities to dance the night away. And while this happens across the state, it is in Vadodara (Baroda) that is known for its massive congregations. Thousands of people dressed in elaborate and colourful dresses, gather in expansive stadia with live music in the centre; they either do garba or dandiya (with short colourful sticks). The last day, Vijayadashami, is marked by feasting on fafda and jalebi.
3. Kolkata:- Across Bengal, Dussehra is distilled to one just one word — pujo. Cliched as it may sound, it’s a word that unites Bengalis far more than roshogolla and football can ever hope to do. While Dussehra lasts 10 days everywhere else, it is the last five-six days when festivities ramp up. Everything comes to a standstill during this time. And Kolkata is where it is at its spectacular best. Goddess Durga is front and centre, and magnificent pandals, decorated to the hilt, come up across the city, each vying to outdo the next one in scale, design and patronage. They are even better at night, lit beautifully and accompanied by music and events. Pandal-hopping, dressed in colourful traditional finery, is an essential activity and sampling food offered alongside the pandals is equally crucial. On the last day, the statues are taken in procession and immersed in the Hooghly.
4. Banaras Often heralded as the one of the oldest living cities in the world, Varanasi goes by several names and has several epithets attached to it. One of them is the ‘land of the Ramlila.’ The city takes on a special look on most festive occasions but it is even better during Dussehra. This is also the time when the opposite banks of the city, where the little village of Ramnagar is located, comes alive since it is here that the Ramlila is performed. Legend has it that the first performance was staged more than 200 years ago, and it takes place over a whole month.
5.: Kota , Rajasthan: While Dussehra is certainly celebrated across Rajasthan, the Kota Dussehra, held on the banks of the Chambal river, holds special place. A massive fair comes up and is filled with dance, music and folk performances, artisans and their wares, and a schedule that is designed to showcase local Rajasthani culture and heritage. It is common to see people dressed in colourful traditional clothes; they visit temples before immersing themselves in the fair. The highlight is certainly the vibrant procession from the palace to the fairground with decorated camels, horses and elephants. There are rides, games and plenty of attractions, as well as food stalls that offer local snacks and delicacies. Kota Dussehra is also known for one other thing: it culminates with the burning of gigantic effigies of Ravana accompanied by much noise and fervour.
6. Kullu: For much of the year, Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, is known for its lush greenery and spectacular scenery. It’s not usual to associate it with Dussehra, but it happens to be one of the region’s most sought after event because of its uniqueness. For starters, the festival begins on the last day, when Dussehra celebrations are winding down everywhere else. It starts with a procession — a rath yatra — and goes on for a week. As part of this, deities from temples in the region congregate at Kullu and then return. On the sidelines are plenty of other things happening simultaneously such as the phool yatra, a massive fair, a folk festival and other things are integral parts. The Ramlila is performed through the week and week-long festivities culminate with the burning of effigies.
7. Puri, Odisha: In Lord Shri Jaganath Temple complex, Puri ,Mahishasuramardini (Goddess Bimala) and Madhava (Krishna) are worshipped together in a secret ritual known as the Gupta Gundicha ceremonies that take place during Sola puja . Traditionally, Vishnu/Krishna is associated with a demure form of the Goddess – Lakshmi or Saraswati. The wilder form of the Goddess is associated with Shiva. But not at Puri. Here, Krishna is said to be her Bhairava, according to Tantrik traditions, making him the Kala-Bhairava or black guardian, and Balarama, the Gora-Bhairava or the white guardian of the Goddess. The wild and fierce Shakti is part of the temple complex just as the Goddess Vimala and as the eight CHANDI goddesses who guard the various roads leading to Purushottama-kshetra, or region of Puri. They demand blood. To the extent that in the vegetarian temple precinct, once a year, in secret, a goat is offered to Vimala at pejanala before goddess Kakudikhai. In Puri all the murnal murties of Durga worshipped in different places are called as Gosani. In other words Gosani refers to clay images of Durga . The word Gosani is represent Chandi. Gosani is a name of CHANDI. The battle with the buffalo demon is one for establishing her sovereignty – this makes her the goddess of kings. Unlike delicate and stylised images of Durga at Puja Pandals, the Gosanis look earthy, fierce and their gaze is not upon the devotee, but at the buffalo demon. He looks up at her while she looks down at him, pulling his hair with her hands, strangulating him with a serpent and impaling him with her trident, while kicking him in the chest. Their eyes are locked in combat. Her maternal form is downplayed and so she is not usually linked to her children: Ganesha, Kartikeya, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Or there are only the sons accompanying the mother to battle. Every Gosani has a Devi Yatra on her body, covered by fine silver filigree work that Odisha is famous for. In Puri the goddess Durga puja is being completed/ ended on the day of Ekadashi ( after the day following Vijaya Dasami) The ekadashi is papularly known as Gosani ekadashi and on this day all the goani goddesses are gathered in grand road, saradha bali ( previously near lions 🦁 gate) and there is a procession. During the procession, all the Gosani goddesses are accompanied by fierce images of Shiva as a Naga, Budha Budhi , and Sampati, Jatayu’s brother, the vulture, who helped the monkeys searching for Sita. It’s a grand procession at night, evoking the procession of ghosts and goblins of Shiva and Shakti who go around the Puri temple, and finally calm down as they stand at Saradha Bali and previously it was held before the Lion gate or the main entrance of the shrine, before it is time for visarjan. The Gosani jatra in Puri is a grand festival, with each of the Gosanis belonging to a particular sahi of Puri town. All the Gosanis are said to have been attached to akharas established by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century. On the day of Diwali 🪔 Thousands of Hindu devotees thronged the pilgrim city and sacred soil of Lord Jagannath to perform the annual ritual of paying humble obeisance and bidding farewell to their ancestors who are believed to have come down on earth during ‘pitrupakhya’ and go back to their heavenly abode on Diwali day amid the lights. Apart from solemnising this pious ‘paya shraddha’ (sincere offerings) on the sacred 22 steps of Sri Mandir and on the ‘Bada Danda’, the devotees also light ‘kaunria kathi’ (white sticks) on the ‘Bada Danda’ (grand road) invoking the ‘bada badua’ (visiting ancestors) and bidding them heartfelt farewell by chanting “bada badua hey, andharare ashi alokare jao” (O revered ancestors having come during the pitch dark period unto the earth, we bid farewell on this festival of lights). According to the religious scholars, day of Diwali is exclusively dedicated to our departed ancestors. While they all descend on earth from their heavenly abode in the month of ‘Aswina Krushnapakhya’, on this day they all return showering blessings on their successors.
8. Shola shasan of Mukti Mandapa Pandita sabha: In all the Shola shasan , each and every year Shola puja is being celebrated and such puja is being followed by Dusshera celebrations. In all such Brahmins villages Durga- Madhab puja is being celebrated and these puja were introduced by Shankaracharya. On the day of Diwali 🪔 Kali puja and badabadia ( paya) shradda are being performed in these villages.
9. Houston, Texas , USA: Durga pujas abroad can often feel more traditional than those in India. Perhaps because Puja is the most relevant occasion for people of Indian origin overseas to reconnect to their roots, culture and community. In this respect, the US’s Houston Durga Bari , Durga temple of Houston and lord Shri Jaganath temple of Houston, no exception. Near about 5000 Indian people in Houston have celebrated their festival with pomp and show, making it one of the biggest Durga pujas in North America. The only temple in North America to be devoted to the worship of goddess Durga, Houston Durga Bari has long been a beacon of the Hindu community in Houston. Nestled deep in the heart of Texas, the Durga Bari hosts religious discourses, weekly pujas and all major Hindu festivals. Every autumn, more than 3,000 people come together to participate in Durga puja. Following Durga Puja, the Indian people of Houston will also be conducting its annual Lakshmi Puja and Kali Puja celebrations on the day of Kumar purnima and Dewali respectively. The Hindus residing in Houston generally are celebrating Dusshera and Diwali 🪔 in a grand way in a stadium 🏟️. Diwali & Dussehra is the largest festival celebrated by more than 1.35 billion people world wide. In Houston, Shri Sita Ram Foundation has organized this festival in the Houston area on a large scale in the fall of each year since 2012 to a capacity crowd of over 15,000 people at Skeeters Stadium in Sugarland, Texas. This festival has grown tremendously since it started and continues to grow every year. The team is innovative in finding unique ways to promote Indian Vedic culture to people of Houston, Texas and neighboring states. Over the years this festival has gained more recognition and has been attended by dignitaries such as Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston, Mayor Zimmerman of Sugarland, other Mayors and several Congressmen, Senators , judges and members of the Consular Corps. in Houston.
10. London: Durga Puja is the biggest festival for Hindus residing in UK and it is held for five days in London. In London Durga Puja is very famous.Every year, many Indian communities of London celebrate this occasion with joy and in a traditional way. List of 14 Best London Durga Puja Pandals in the UK :
1. London Camden Durga Puja – Swiss Cottage Library
2. Panchamukhee Durga Puja in the United Kingdom
3. Wimbledon Cultural Association Durga Puja London
4. Sanatan Bengali Association, Palmers Green UK
5. UTSAB – London Bengali Association Durga puja Orpington
6. Hindu Pragati Sangha Mandir, Mile End, U.K
7. Prabashi Durga Puja in Hounslow, London
8. London Sharad Utsav – Bengal Heritage Foundation (BHF)
9. South London Durga Puja UK
10. Aantarik, Bengali Association Bromley Durga Puja
11. Spandan – Croydon Bengali Association Durga Puja London
12. London Durga Puja Dusserah Association
13. Sanaton Association London.
14. Lord Shri Jaganath Temple, Central London.
The time of Diwali is one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year. Diwali literally means a row of Lights. It is a time filled with light and love; a time when Indians all over the world rejoice. It is the darkest night of the darkest period, yet it is a celebration of light! Diwali is heralded as the triumph of good over evil. The meaning of Diwali, its symbols and rituals, and the reasons for celebration are innumerable. Diwali celebrates Lord Rama’s glorious and long awaited return to his kingdom of Ayodhya after his fourteen years of exile in the forests. It commemorates Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakaasura who had kidnapped and terrorised the gopis of Vrindavan. It is also celebrated as the day Bhagwan Vishnu married Maha Lakshmi. Diiwali is also associated with the story of the fall of Bali – a demon king who was defeated by Lord Vishnu. In general, Diwali signifies the triumph of good over evil, of righteousness over treachery, of truth over falsehood, and of light over darkness. However, Diwali is not a festival of lights in order that we may burn candles, fireworks and sparklers. Sure, these are wonderful ways of expressing our gaiety. But, it is not the only or true meaning of ‘light’. Diwali is a festival of the light which dispels the darkness of our ignorance; it is a festival of the light which shows us the way on our journey through life. The purpose is not to glorify the light of the candle or the firecracker. The purpose is to glorify the light of God. It is He who bestows the real light, the everlasting light upon the darkness of this mundane world. A candle burns out. Afirework is a momentary visual experience. But, the candle of a still mind and the fireworks of a heartfilled with bhakti are divine and eternal; these are what we should be celebrating. We decorate our homes with lanterns; but what is the symbolism behind that? Those lanterns signify God’s light, penetrating through the ignorance and sin of our daily lives. They signify the divine light, shining its way through this mundane world. A home bathed in light is a home in which anger, pain and ignorance are being dispelled; it is a home that is ccalling to God. However, too many people turn this into a domestic beauty contest, spending days and a great deal of money to purchase the newest diyas, the most beautiful candles. This is only the light of glamour. It is not the light of God.