Jagdalpur: While the country celebrated Dussehra by burning the effigy of Ravana to mark the victory of good over evil, Ravana Dahan does not take place in the historical Bastar Dussehra in Chhattisgarh which lasts for 75 days. On the day of Vijayadashami, the main ritual of Dussehra in Bastar, Raini is performed instead where deity Shakti is worshiped.
Also, the Chhatra of Goddess Danteshwari, the deity of Bastar, is taken on a city tour. This important ritual was celebrated with great pomp till late Tuesday night. A large number of tourists and devotees came to witness it.
What is the Raini ritual inside: According to the legend, Bastar used to be the city of Ravana in ancient times which is the reason why the effigy of Ravana is not burnt in the Bastar Dussehra festival, a symbol of peace, non-violence and harmony. On this day the ritual of Raini is performed instead. Hemant Kashyap, an expert on Bastar said that the chariot that runs on rainy days is called Vijay Rath.
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There are eight wheels in this chariot. Earlier, the flower chariot was run for six days which used to be of four wheels. Kashyap said that earlier the Maharaja used to ride in the Vijay Rath. But after the end of the monarchy, now arrangements are made by the district administration to carry the umbrella of the adorable goddess of Bastar.
Chariot is stolen during the Raini ritual: Avinash Prasad, Special Expert on Bastar Dussehra said that on the day of Vijayadashami, after the 8-wheeled Vijay Chariot is taken out in the Raini ritual, it is stolen by people of the Madiya caste at midnight. After stealing the chariot, it is taken to Kumhadakot adjacent to the city.
It is believed that during the monarchy era, people dissatisfied with the king had stolen the chariot and hid it at a place. After stealing the chariot, the tribals demanded from the king to eat Nayakhani together. As soon as the king came to know about this, he reached Kumhadakot the next day with his army, musical instruments, fireworks and after appeasing the villagers, had a feast with them.
After this, the chariot was taken back to Danteshwari temple of Jagdalpur in royal style. This ritual is called Raini ritual. According to the belief of the locals, King Purshottam Dev of Bastar had reached Jagannath Puri while marching with his army. From here he got the title of Rathapathi.
