Dussehra

The festival of Dussehra is the principle celebration in many parts of the country. It is celebrated with great fanfare in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Mysore in Karnataka and slightly differently as Durga puja in West Bengal. It is the climax of nine day long festivities during the Navaratri.

The highlight of Dussehra in Kullu is a colourful procession in which idols of local deities are carried round the town to the accompaniment of joyous music. If here the flavour is distinctly rural and rustic, in Mysore this day is reserved for display of resplendent regalia. A caparisoned elephant is the mount of the Goddess Chamunda, the protector deity of Karnataka who rides atop a golden howdah - ornate mount with a seat. The palace in Mysore is so well lit up that it outshines the moon. In Varanasi the burning of huge images of ten-headed Ravana provide the finale of perhaps the most spectacular re-telling of the Rama legend.