Navaratri Special : Dasara Toys

Dasara wishes to everyone. This festival signifies the victory of good over evil. The word ‘Dasara’ is derived from the Sanskrit phrase ‘Dasha-hara’ which means ‘remover of bad fate’. The festival is celebrated in many ways across India. Predominant form being offering prayers to goddess Chamundeshwari (Durga), who fought Mahishasura. The battle raged for nine days and nights and at the end of it Mahishasura was defeated and killed by Durga.

During these ‘Navaratri’ days, many people across southern states of India celebrate by exhibiting colorful toys. This is also termed ‘bombe habba’ in Kannada or ‘bommala koluvu’ in Telugu. There is a story on this too! The goddess Durga needed extra ordinary power to kill Mahishasura. To help her, rest of the gods and goddesses gave all their power to Goddess Durga. Without power they all stood still as toys. Out of respect for this act of self-sacrifice people exhibit toys which are in the shape of gods and goddesses.

Now that I have shared some background, let me share some of the pics that I managed to click at a colleague’s home. Girish invited us during this festive eve and had a wonderful time going through the toys set up at his place. Some of these were as old as 150 years, which were inherited through his ancestors and still preserved in a great condition! The toys had multiple themes including Dashavatara, Ashtalakshmi and the world famous TTD Venkateshwara temple Brahmotsavam (esp., Garuda Vahana).

Pic 1 – Ashtalakshmi and Dashavatara

Pic 2 – Venkateshwara Brahmotsava @ Tirumala, Tirupati

Pic 3 – Garuda Vaahana at TTD Brahmotsava