Dasara festival

India is a land of festivals and hardly a day goes by when the Gods do not have a respite from their devotees. But of all the festivals, Dasara - which is held for 10 days - is truly Pan-Indian to say so and is celebrated across the country in different forms. The Durga Puja in Kolkata (Calcutta) and Dussehra in Kulu in Himachal Pradesh are renowned. So is the Garbha dance and Dandiya Ras in Gujarat or the Ramlila in north India. But the most famous is the Mysore Dasara which has a history of atleast 400 years if not more. The city of palaces - another sobriquet for Mysore - is awash with a riot of colours and the main palace lit up by 100,000 bulbs - is the key attraction. The 10-day festivals started on a large scale by the rulers of Vijayanagar empire at Hampi (check out the photographs of Hampi ruins) during the 14-15th century A.D is celebrated on a similar scale in Mysore till date and the credit for reviving it goes to the Wadiyars of Mysore who were the local fiefs of the Vijayanagar rulers. The Dasara 2009 concluded on September 28 and here you find a glimpse of these celebrations.