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Dussehra Puja

Dussehra is a major Hindu festival, celebrated on the 10th day of Shukla Paksh in the month of Ashwin. It is the festival celebrated by every Indian, following different culture and tradition. On this day a special image of Dussehra is also drawn on the floor with wheat flour or chuna. People also worship a printed image of Dussehra. It is also believed citing the Neelkanth bird is also of utmost importance.

The main object of celebrating this festival is that of vanquishing evil over good. It is believed that on this day, Shri Ram killed the ten headed demon, Ravan. For that reason, this day is also referred as Vijaya Dashami (victorious day). Thus in order to celebrate this victory, huge effigies of Ravan, his brother Kumbhkaran and son Meghanath filled with crackers, are burnt with stroke of an arrow.

The ritual of Dussehra

Requirements for the Puja

  • Image of Dussehra
  • Cow dung, chuna
  • Jhuwara, which is grown on Navratri day
  • Roli, moli, chawal, flowers
  • Jaggery, 1-1/4 kg of rice, puri, kheer
  • Banana, gwarphalli (flat cluster beans), mooli (radish),
  • Money for offering
  • Bahikhata (account books)

Vidhi / Steps for performing the Puja

  1. Draw the Dussehra image with wheat flour/chuna.
  2. Put 9 tikki with cow dung.
  3. Make 2 katories of cow dung with a lid.
  4. In one katori, keep the coins and in the other keep a little roli, chawal, fruits and jhuwara.
  5. Do the puja with water, mooli, roli, chawal, flowers and jhuwara.
  6. Offer mooli, banana, gwarphalli, jaggery, 1-1/4 kg chawal.
  7. Light the dhoop and the deepak, then do the parikrama.
  8. Puja is offered dedicating to the old bahikhata, by offering flowers, jhuwara, roli and chawal.
  9. New bahikhata for Diwali puja are ordered on this day.
  10. After the puja is done, money from the cow dung box is taken out and placed in a safe place.
  11. Finally food and dakshina are offered to the Brahmins.

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