Geetha Patil
CHICAGO: Hindu Mandir of Lake County celebrated the 10-day long Navratri and Dasara festival, also known as Dussehra and Vijayadashami, from October 9 to 17 with much grandeur and enthusiasm. The temple was decorated with diyas and colorful lights which brought alive the festive spirit among all devotees.
Every day hundreds of devotees participated in the special Pujas and Garba. On Saturday, October 20 more than 2000 devotees gathered to participate in the Mela and watch the spectacular Ravan Dahan.
The first day of Navratri started with Kalash Sthapan, Lord Ganesh and Gauri Pujan by Pandit Anil Joshi along with Pandit Ganesh and other temple priests. For nine days, special Alankars were performed and discourses were delivered about the significance of different goddesses by Pt. Joshi .On the eighth day, Kanya pujan was performed after Devi Ashtami Yagna by Shri Yogesh Pandey. Girls (seen as the nine avatars of Goddess Durga) were welcomed into the temple by first washing their feet and then tying Mauli (red thread) around their wrists. These girls were seated in a line and given Prasad and gifts bags.
In the evenings, men and women dressed in their vibrant clothes gathered in the temple to play Garba and Dandiya (Gujarat’s folk dance). The singing of folk melodies and dancing made a fascinating sight for all the nine days of Navratri.
On October 20, a Ram Lila performance by more than 70 children was presented. The play lead by Smt. Anu Gupta depicted the historic tale of Rama defeating Ravana and winning back his wife Sita. The last day celebrations culminated with the impressive burning of Ravana’s effigies symbolizing his epic defeat at the hands of Lord Ram and the ultimate victory of good over evil. This event was led by Madup Dhoan, Amit Gupta and Dr, Harsh Kumar.
The temple’s new parking lot was inaugurated on this day and a grand Mela was organized by inviting local Indian and non-Indian businesses to put up their booths and create an awareness about their products, foods, clothes, artifacts, and jewelries. Temple food preparation was led by Kamal Gupta and Smt. Pramila Dutt.
“This is the most spectacular Dussehra celebration in the Greater Chicago Land. We love to come here for the very ritualistic Pujas, food, shopping, cultural programs and dazzling Ravan Dahan,” said a devotee.
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