Niranjana festival is a name used to describe the Vijayadashami festival which is observed on Ashwin Shukla Paksha Dashami tithi – which marks the end of Durga Puja and Dasara.
The Mahakala Samhita says that when the Goddess was invoked
before the usual time (the Akal Bodhan) for Ravana’s destruction, she was
pleased by the heartfelt prayers. Then Brahma and other gods made a solemn vow
to her. They promised that when Ravana was slain on Navami, they would
establish a grand festival in her honor.
The gods decided that this festival would be held on the afternoon of Dashami, after Ravana’s death. After pleasing the Goddess with offerings and sacrifices, both gods and humans would celebrate this Niranjana Mahotsav (Festival of Worship and Victory) on Earth.
The festival would
include:
- Music, dance, and instrumental performances
- Play with clay or mud (kadakhela)
- Worship of weapons, chariots, elephants, and horses
- Exchange of greetings and words of love among the virtuous
From that divine promise, this tradition continues to this
very day. The word Niranjana can mean both “arati” (ceremonial light offering)
and the worship of weapons and war animals. Thus, from the time of Ravana’s
fall, this grand festival has been celebrated as an enduring earthly tradition.
According to the Sankalpa (ritual declaration) of Durga
Puja, the worship formally concludes on Mahanavami with the completion of the homa
(fire offering). But the Durga Utsav truly ends on the following tithi—Dashami.
There are no more rituals on this day, only the Bisarjan—the ceremonial
immersion of the idol.