Dasara, a festival celebrating strength, ability and courage. "Om Sri Durgaya Namah"

Dasara is a Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil.  Dasara marks the victory of Goddess Durga (Shakthi) over demons as Mahishasur. It is a day when devotees worship Goddess Shakti.

Shakti represents strength, ability and courage.

This day also celebrates the Hindu god Rama's victory over the demon king Ravana and the triumph of good over evil. The epic Ramayana tells the mythical story of the Lord Rama who wins the lovely Sita for his wife, only to have her carried off by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.

Ravana plays an important role in the Ramayana. Ravana had a sister known as Shoorpanakha. She fell in love with the brothers Rama and Lakshamana and wanted to marry one of them. Lakshamana refused to marry her and Rama could not as he was already married to Sita.

Shoorpanakha threatened to kill Sita, so that she could marry Rama. This angered Lakshamana who cut off Shoorpanakha's nose and ears. Ravana then kidnapped Sita to avenge his sister's injuries. Rama and Lakshamana later fought a battle to rescue Sita. The monkey god Hanuman and a huge army of monkeys helped them.

Dasara/ Dussehra is derived from Sanskrit Dasha-hara meaning "remover of bad fate" meaning remover of ten heads of Ravana's.

The first nine days are celebrated as Maha Navratri 'nine nights' and culminates on the tenth day as Dasara.

The Hindu epic the Mahabharata carries the story Ramayana. The origins of this story are from the 8^th and 9^th centuries.

"Om Sri Durgaya Namah"

Authors note:

When I was a child, I had a comic book with the story of Ramayana. It filled my imagination with wonderful images of war and victory. My strong belief in the power of good, the simple fact that your 'karma' in this world will determine your fate, the happiness that lies beyond money, and the search of this began then. It still continues. Images are but our imagination. The powers of good and equally the evil that lies within all of us, I believe are co-dependent. I have but scratched the surface in my journey. My faith is strong, for I believe that harnessing the power of good, will bring you peace of mind.