How Dusshera is celebrated by different communities in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Dussehra is a festival that symbolizes the victory of good over evil. It is celebrated with traditional fervor, devotion, and gaiety across Hyderabad in diverse ways by different communities who have made this city their home.

Telugu Festivities

Young women play Bathukamma around a clay pot decorated with flowers and they dance around it. This festival is celebrated with fervor across all temples of Goddess Durga in the state of Telangana. During Navaratri, Goddess Durga is adorned in different forms and avatars like Mahishasura Mardhini, Bala Tripura Sundari, Raja Rajeshwari, Annapoorna, Kali, Kanaka Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Gayatri Devi.

Dussehra is also the occasion in Telangana when the newlyweds are invited by the bride’s family and are offered gifts and accorded special care. Students usually keep their books and workers clean their tools for puja on the ninth day of Navaratri, called Ayudha Puja which is then taken back, after puja on the tenth day. Vijayadashami. Women and children organize ‘bommala koluvu’, which is a special arrangement of dolls and toys, aesthetically accompanied by flowers as well as lamps. Saraswati Puja is also performed by many Telangana families to initiate their children into education since Vijayadashami is considered highly auspicious for this purpose. In Hyderabad city, devotees also immerse large idols of the goddess in the Hussain Sagar Lake, after worshipping her with devotion during the nine-day long festival.

Bengali celebrations

Mira Pawar who is a Bengali married to a Maharashtrian explains, “Durga Puja is celebrated mostly by Bengalis. Kolkata celebrates with great grandeur. However, in other states too where there are Bengalis, the idol of Durga and temporary canopies called pandals are put up. The first day of Durga puja heralds the advent of the goddess. The festival is celebrated with rituals and traditions which include Mahalaya, Maha Shashti, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami, and Vijaya Dashami. The festival concludes with visarjan by immersing the idol in any form of water body. Durga puja starts with Shashti (6th day) with ghatasthapna. The ritual involves filling a clean copper or brass pot with water, placing coins, betel leaves, and grains inside, and coated with cow dung. Ghatasthapna is a symbolic invocation of Goddess Shakti and marks the beginning of the festival. On Saptami (seventh day) a banana tree branch or Nabapatrika is bathed in holy water from a river or pond and dressed in a saree. The Nabapatrika is made up of nine plants that represent the nine forms of the goddess Durga herself. This Nabapatrika is also known as Kola Bou which means banana bride. Mahasnan is conducted by placing a mirror to reflect the image of the goddess idol and giving a ritual bath. This is followed by pranprathista – a priest consecrates a pot with 5 mango leaves and a coconut placed on it. Divine hymns are chanted while placing the pot in front of the goddess idol. The goddess is then worshipped on Ashtami (eighth day) Victory of goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura is celebrated. On this day Devotees also observe fast until Bhog (Prasad)is offered to Maa Durga and then the devotees also have the Bhog. During the evening Sandhi puja is performed which is in between the Ashtami and Navami dates. This is considered as the culmination point of the celebration. During the Sandhi puja there is an animal sacrifice to be done, however, now in place of an animal, a pumpkin is used. On Navami (ninth day) devotees worship Maa Siddhidatri (the final form of Durga) to seek divine blessings and spiritual upliftment. She is the primordial form of Goddess Parvati and the creation of Gods Brahma Vishnu and Shiva. Maa Siddhidatri is depicted as a four-armed deity sitting on a lotus flower. Sesame seeds are offered for safety and security from unnatural events. On Dashami (10th day) devotees carry the idols of goddess Durga for immersion in a river, pond, or ocean. This symbolizes the return of the goddess to the divine cosmos and her marital home with Shiva in Kailash. On this day married women apply vermillion to Maa Durga on her forehead, face, and feet and offer sweets to her. After which women apply vermillion on each other (called sindoor khela) and exchange sweets.”

Subhalakshmi Ghosh Mazumdar, a Bengali businesswoman settled in Secunderabad says, “The festivities of Bengal away from Bengal are socio-religious. It's also a way to express creativity, happiness, togetherness, and a culture. This happens through food expression ( Anandamela), music, singing, dance, drama (cultural events by members and children), and bringing in a piece of Bengal (through singing artists). Astami pushanjali at the pandal wearing white and red saree/dhuti Panjabi is an "event" which is a must-do. So is Sondhi pujo which marks the beginning of Maha Nobomi Puja. It is said that mahishasur vadh happened at this moment of Sondhi Pujo which is marked by the lighting of 1000 diyas by the women. On Dashami, there is sidur khela by the married women which now encompass those who are unwed as well. Women wear the `aath poure saree’ the traditional saree wearing of Bengal. In Kolkata, it's also a time to express creativity through theme pujas which have also found a place in probashi pujos (meaning pujos out of Kolkata) where themes are slowly coming in. The stalls around the pujos are all about Bengal and creating a mini Bengal on the premises. It's a time for the children to recognize that many speak Bengali like them and it's for the elders to express themselves in Bangla ways.”

Gujarati Dandiya

Several Gujarati committees have organized Dandiya Nights this year in Hyderabad. Some of the biggest are open-air Dandiya events with famous Gujarati bands, beats, and great Gujarati Singers. Some of the venues span thousands of feet of space, others are smaller. But all the Dandiya events at gardens and halls, community centers, and wedding venues, are witnessing couples and families dancing the night away to non-stop music from the best orchestras and bands straight from Gujarat, featuring mesmerizing performances by Gujarati singers.

Authentic culinary delights at Gujarati food stalls and uniquely themed venue decorations are bringing in throngs of visitors who buy tickets and VIP passes at the venue or via Book My Show. Every night brings something new with different activities, gifts, and surprises.