Vijayadashami 2019: Why do we celebrate Dussehra

The festival of Dussehra is celebrated in India with a lot of enthusiasm and in different ways but the essence remains the same — to mark the victory of good over evil. In North India, Dussehra is celebrated to commemorate the killing of Ravana by Lord Rama. The festival is also a celebration of female divinity as it marks the killing of demon Mahishasura by goddess Durga.

The festival is celebrated after the nine-day long festival of Navratri and is also known as Vijayadashami. This year, it will be celebrated on October 8.

Huge effigies of Ravana, his son Meghnath and brother Kumbhakarana are burnt to symbolise the victory of good over evil.

Kids are told the tale of the mighty Lord Rama and how he killed Ravana in order to rescue his wife, goddess Sita from the clutches of the evil king. Rama was accompanied by his brother Laxmana, Lord Hanuman and his army of vanars (monkeys).

The festival is a constant reminder that no matter what happens in life, how dark things get and how much evil seems to be succeeding, at the end goodness and righteousness always triumphs.

Celebrate Dussehra with the thought that truth shall always win the war against evil.

Here's wishing our readers a happy Dussehra!