IntroductionVijayadashami or Dussehra is a festival where we celebrate the destruction of evil. It is a festival which teaches us to be just and follow the path of Dharma. It is the festival where we offer prayers to Maa Durga and worship her nine different forms.
Except for these, those who worship Goddess Durga offer prayers to her nine forms namely Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandha Matha, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Maha Gouri and Siddhi Mata. This custom is followed in Srisailam a town in Andhra Pradesh where the Goddess Durga resides as Bhramarambika Devi alongside Mallikarjuna Swami. THE LEGEND OF SRISAILAMIt is believed that there lived a demon once with the name Arunasura. He was awarded a boon by Lord Brahma the Creator in the Hindu Trinity, for his fervid devotion and worship. The boon was that he can neither be killed by a two-legged or a four-legged living being nor be killed by any kind of weapon. As soon as he was gifted with this boon, he started causing vexation to all the devas and saints. Being petrified with his terror the devas pleaded Lord Shiva who is the Destroyer in the Hindu Trinity to help them. However, Lord Shiva hesitated because Arunasura was one of his great devotees. Helpless, all the devas then turned towards Goddess Parvathi to seek help. She took the form of bhramara, a Sanskrit word for bee and entered Arunasura’s ear. She created humming sounds which eventually led to the death of the demon and then stayed in Srisailam as Bhramarambika. Visit Srisailam Bhramaramba Devi Temple for more information. Team
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