Mumbai, Oct 15: Dussehra, the festival symbolising the triumph of good over evil, was celebrated all over Maharashtra today with thousands of people offering prayers to goddess Durga. Strings of flamboyant orange marigold flowers and mango leaves adorned the houses and commercial establishments in the state even as scores of devotees offered the traditional flower offerings to Durga, who represents a supreme being that preserves moral order and righteousness in creation.
Dussehra marks the victory of goddess Durga over the buffalo-headed demon, mahishasura. As legend goes the demon had wrecked havoc in heaven forcing all the gods to flee. The gods had appealed to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, to create an invincible force, Durga, to vanquish the demon.
Durga, armed with weapons and unlimited energy and riding a tiger went forth to battle the demon king. She subsequently slayed him, earning her the epithet of Mahishasuramardini (the slayer of Mahishasura).
In several houses devotees recited the Mahishasur Mardana, a prayer that invokes the goddess to bestow the worshipper with her invincible strength, and worshipped weapons, implements and books on the occasion.
The festival also marks the victory of Lord Ram over King Ravana and the cutting of the ten heads of Ravana (Das Hara) and the overwhelming welcome accorded to him when he returned to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile.
Bureau Report