Dusshera is the celebration of the triumph of Good over Evil. The circumstances leading to this great conflict between Ram and the asura king Ravan have a great significance on the jewellery repertoire of India.
When Ravan abducts Sita in the guise of a Brahman who has come begging for alms Ram and Laxman are away hunting in the forest. Sita wails while Ravan forcible carries her into his Pushpak Vahan which ascends into the skies flying them off to his Kingdom Lanka. There is no one to hear the desperate call for help of Sita. A desperate Sita not knowing how to let her beloved Ram know of the treacherous abduction starts dropping her jewellery one by one to mark the route of the flying machine.
She first drops her diamond and emerald studded nupur or anklet next she drops her ruby bangle; as the Pushpak Vahan flies ahead, she drops her Sapphire kangan. all this while Ravan is laughing and mocking her about her Ram never knowing about her whereabouts. Being a male Ravan doesn't even notice what the desperate Sita is doing. As she drops one of her sparkling Navratna Jhumkas it falls next to Jatayu who is resting on the ground. He immediately looks up and seeing a struggling Sita in the clutches of Ravan soars into the heavens to rescue her. A battle ensues between the Eagle King and the Asura King. Sita in all this mayhem continues to drop her jewellery to mark the trail of flight of the Pushpak. She now drops her dainty diamond studded pearl and ruby Guluband. Jatyu being old is defeated by the demonic Ravan and falls to the ground. The Pushpak gathers speed and crossing the tip of the Indian peninsular reaches the skies of Lanka. The abduction of Sita is completed.
On returning to their hut Ram and Laxman are horrified to see Sita missing. They understand that she has been abducted because of the chaos of things strewn all around. Laxman finds Sita's nupur and recognising it he cries out to his brother who rushes to him. They follow the trail and find the next piece of jewellery the ruby bangle. Ram exclaims "look Laxman this is Sita's chudi!" But Laxman fails to identity the piece of jewellery as he has never looked beyond the sacred feet of his bhabi. Ram being Sita's husband identifies all the pieces till they reach a bleeding Jatyu whose mighty wing has been chopped off by Ravan. He then confirms that the asura king of Lanka has carried off Sita ma to his kingdom beyond.
Ram gathers an army of monkeys and other allies crosses over to Lanka and battles with the forces of Evil of the Asura kingdom. He defeats Ravan in a terrible battle that lasts for ten days and nights and rescues his Sita from the captivation of the Asuras. GOOD triumphs. This day of victory is called Dusshera.
In India the personal jewellery cache of any woman is her unique possession. Be she a queen such as Sita, or an ordinary common woman, it is exclusive to her identification.
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