Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Dasara Navaratri





The Festival of Dasara is celebrated on the occasion of Navaratri, and the holy day also commemorates the triumph of good over evil. Forms of celebrations can take on a wide variety of manifestations, ranging from worshipping the goddess Chamundeshwari (Durga) to exhibiting colorful toys on the day of bombe habba in Kannada.

There is a legend related to the exhibition of toys that is known as Golu (spelled Kolu in some regions). Since the goddess Durga needed tremendous power, all other gods and goddesses transferred their power to Goddess Durga and they all stood still as toys. To respect the self-sacrifice of these deities during the festival days, Hindus revere toys that are in shape of particular gods and




he last day of all the celebrations is Vijaya Dashami. In Mysore there is a tradition of holding a grand procession through the streets of the city with the idol of the goddess Chamundeshwari riding in a golden Ambaari (elephant-seat). For many centuries, presiding over the 10-day festivities was an important sovereign ritual during the Kingdom of Mysore. Many cultural events are held at the main Palace in Mysore. During the post-independence period, the provincial government of Karnataka has taken over the tradition and continues the celebration every year.



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