A look into the festival that fosters optimism, reassurance and encouragement
By Samay Shetti
Dussehra is a day that celebrates the victory of good over evil. One of the major festivals of India, it serves as a constant reminder that, however dire or hopeless the circumstance, however powerful the forces of evil might be, ultimately it is always vanquished by those who are steadfast on the path of righteousness. In reference to this, it is also known as Vijay (Victory) Dashami.
The festival occurs on Ashwin Shukla Dashami, the 10th day of the waxing moon fortnight of the month of Ashwin in the Indian lunisolar calendar, which corresponds roughly to the month of October of the Gregorian calendar. Dussehra is celebrated with different flavours in various regions of the country and also by the Indian diaspora across the borders. The name of the festival too sounds different in different regions, like in Goa we know it commonly as Dasro; while in the neighbouring Karnataka it is celebrated Dasraa; in Bengal it is Bijoya Dashomi; and in the north India it is Dussehra.
The festival is given significance by numerous instances that have happened on this particular day illustrating the great victory according to the Puranas and Itihasaas of India. According to Ramayana, this was the day that marked the culmination of the great war between Ram of Ayodhya and Ravan of Lanka. Commemorating this event, even today Ramlila is enacted across the country, in which the life of Lord Ram and his adventures are acted out in the form of plays. Each of these plays ends with the characters of Ram and Lakshman shooting flaming arrows at giant effigies of Ravan, his brother Kumbhakaran and son Meghanad – which are stuffed with fireworks and flammable materials. This tradition serves as a reminder for us to burn the negativity within us, as, if left unchecked, it would lead one to a similar destructive end as it did to Ravan and his clan.
There is also a tradition of exchanging Sonpatri (Mountain Ebony leaves) popularly known in Goa as Apatyanchi Paana. There is an interesting story behind this too which goes as such: Lord Ram’s ancestor, King Raghu of Ayodhya, performed the Vishwajit Yadnya, after which he donated all his wealth and retired to a hut in a forest. Then, one day Sage Kautsa appeared before him and asked for 14 crore gold coins. King Raghu, having already donated all his wealth, prepared to attack Kuber, the deity of wealth, to obtain his requirement. Kuber, in an attempt to avoid the battle, showered gold coins on the Apta (Mountain Ebony) and Shami (Indian Mesquite) trees. King Raghu accepted only fourteen crore gold coins and his subjects distributed the rest among themselves, therefore Apatyanchi Paana is still exchanged among friends and family being symbolic of gold and hence good fortune. Folklore aside, the leaves of Shami and Apta have a very high medicinal value, also being hardy leguminous trees, they help greatly in enhancing the fertility of the land where they grow.
Speaking of the connection with the Mahabharat, this was the day on which the Pandavas completed their year of living incognito thus completing the 13 years of exile incurred due to the loss at the infamous gambling game of dice. It was the day on which Arjun defeated the entire Kuru army as they had unlawfully waged war against the kingdom of Virata, just out of greed. On the Dussehra day, the Pandavas picked up their weapons again after it was brought down from the Shami tree on which it was hidden. Commemorating this, on the day of the festival, Aayudh Pooja is performed in every household and workplace. Here one’s respective tools of trade and instruments are venerated, as work is also considered as a form of worship. The festival is considered auspicious to foster new beginnings, also. Therefore it’s not uncommon to see the markets and even e-commerce apps to be flooded with offers to attract customers. New purchases of all kinds are made during this time – new clothes, gold, jewels, electronics, vehicles, even properties. All sectors notice a significant rise in revenues in this period. Dussehra is also considered a good time to start some venture, too.
Moving onto the Puranas, Dusshehra is said to be the day on which Goddess Durga defeated and killed the demon Mahishasura, who after receiving a boon for his severe austerities had started misusing his powers to torment the innocents by cruelly exerting his power. Mahishasura had asked for a boon that he could be defeated by no man, therefore Goddess Durga brought about his end when all other attempts by everyone had failed. Since then, she was also known as Mahishasuramardhini, the one who slayed Mahishasura. The worship of Durga forms the major part of Dussehra and its significance, as Durga is said to be a direct manifestation of Adi Shakti, the primeval energy of the universe, which is considered to be the female potency of the cosmos. In the nine days that precede Dussehra, Durga is worshipped and venerated in all her nine forms, collectively known as Navdurga. One form of the goddess is worshipped on each day of the Navratri, beginning from the Ashwin Shukla Pratipada and culminating on Vijay Dashmi.
Goa has a special relation with Durga and hence Dasro too. As the story goes, after ending Mahishasura following a severe battle, the rage of the Goddess subsided and she moved towards the land of Gomantak, as the story continues, it is said that it is in Gomantak she resided in her calm form from that time onwards as Shantadurga. Moreover, here in Goa, the festival is also celebrated as the marriage of Lord Shiva with the Goddess Shakti too. In fact, here, Parvati, who is Shiva’s consort, is worshipped in the various forms of goddess Durga such as Mauli, Sateri, Shantadurga, Bhumika, Bhagvati and so on. So wherever these temples are located, the festivities also take those forms and especially include decorative umbrellas locally known as the tarangas.
In different parts of Goa too the festival is celebrated in unique ways, like for instance, In Pernem, the Dussehra and Navratri celebrations are associated with the festival of Pednechi Punav. Here, the celebration is also known as ‘Kojagiri Poornima.’ In the past, the Royal family of Pernem, the Deshprabhus, celebrated this feast with great pomp and splendour. These days, too they partake in the main puja, but most of the nine-day celebrations are organized by the Shree Bhagwati Devasthan of Pernem. During the nine nights, the Kotkar clan prepare the flower toran (a garland of orange marigolds and mango leaves) while the Guravs (local priests), Kumbhars (potters) and sutars (carpenters) prepare the Taranga (a decorative umbrella that is representative of a God or Goddess) and the Mahar community beats the drums (Dhol). In some temples in Goa, they carry that Taranga and do the ‘Tarangamel’ dance – a very energetic dance, of very elaborate dance steps while holding that decorative umbrella. The Tarangamel is also danced during Holi celebrations when a drum called the ‘Romat’ is played. On a ninth night, Lord Bhutnath must be pacified.
The Poinginkaar of Canacona have their own flavour to the festivities. Here they have a dance called ‘Gondhal’. They perform this dance with pure joy during Dussehra. Here, Navraatri means worship of the Tarangas and Satri (umbrella shaped religious icons) which represent the local traditions. During Dussehra and Navratri, the ‘Tarang’, the ‘Satri’ and a big bunch of vibrant peacock feathers called the ‘Niraakaaracho Pillkucho’ are carried in processions. The Satri is a representation of Navdurga. The ‘Pillkucho’ is a representation of the Nirakar (the formless). The people of Paingini welcome the Tarang, the Satri and the Pillkucho procession with oil lamps and throw fragrant flowers in its path throughout the night until the procession reaches the Shri Navdurga temple. At night, they dance the traditional ‘Gondhal’ (Gondhal literally means chaos). This is a very elaborate and energetic dance performed to the heart throbbing beats of the dhol (drum) and taashe (cymbals).
At the Navadurga Temple in Ponda, during Navratri, the puja includes the swinging of a solid gold deity on a special hundred-year-old swing known as a Makhar. There is an interesting story behind the gold deity. This story dates back to the time when the Ranes raided Goa’s rich families. The ‘Saukaars’, who were Borim’s biggest landlords decided to protect their family gold and hide it so that it didn’t fall into the Rane’s hands.
Later, however, the family fell on troubled times and prayed to their temple Goddess to help them. They promised the Goddess that in return for her help, they would make a solid gold idol of the Goddess. Their prayers were answered. So the deity that’s in the Navadurga temple is a deity made from their family’s gold. It is known as Kancholi Devi.
Other than the native traditions, in recent times, the culture of other regions of the country have taken a foothold in the state as well, be it the Durga Pooja tradition as it is celebrated in Bengal; or the Garbha and Dandia Raas of Gujarat. These festivities have been assimilated completely in the way Goa celebrates Dussehra
