10 Quirky Dussehra Gift Ideas for Your Loved Ones (2019): What Better Way Than Gifts to Celebrate the Festival with Family and Friends

The festival of Dussehra is celebrated in honor of Lord Ram’s victory over King Ravana and the triumph of good over evil from the legendary Ramayana. It is also considered an auspicious time to worship tools that help attract income for most people, for as legend goes, in Mahabharata, Arjun hid his weapons in a tree and on his return from exile a year later, he retrieved them on Dussehra Day and then worshipped them along with the tree.

Primarily a festival celebrated mostly in Northern India, Dussehra’s quite popular in Delhi and Varanasi in terms of Dussehra celebrations. The most towering effigy of Ravan can be seen in a village called Dhanas near Chandigarh, while other significant celebrations can be witnessed in Kullu Valley, HP, Kota-Rajasthan, Mysore-Karnataka, Almora-Uttarakhand and Bastar in Chhatisgarh. Other parts of the country like in West Bengal, Navratri and Dussehra are celebrated as Durga Puja.

The puja ritual on Dussehra differs from region to region in India, given its diverse cultural heritage, however, the dedication and feelings that are put into each ritual remain the same for most, following these age-old customs and traditions. As per popular belief, the puja on Dussehra invokes divine blessings, prosperity & happiness in a family, abundance in health and wealth, and protection from all sorts of negative energies. Dussehra is also considered one of the most opportune times to initiate something new like a new venture or a new project or even buy new things like electronics, jewellery, and vehicles.

Besides the traditional puja ceremonies, some people also like to follow astrological or numerological and even vaastu tips to enhance divine frequencies in life. For instance, it is said that the perfect direction to worship Ma Durga is the north-east or eastern direction of the house, as she controls the nine planets in a horoscope. Once the direction is identified, then the celebrations can be initiated by chanting Durga Suktam, a beej mantra, to get rid of all negativity. The Goddess’s idol can then be placed facing the east direction.

Rangoli should be made per the five elemental energies, and their positive vibrations under one roof and all vibrant colors should be used, leaving out any dark colors or the color black from the design. The puja is incomplete without earthen lamps decorating the house and the temple as well, and the celebrations culminate by inviting young unmarried girls in honor of Ma Durga and presenting them with puja material as well as new dresses.

Dussehra is celebrated on Dashami in the month of Ashwin, Krishna Paksha and it is believed that if you make an Astadal Lotus shape with sandalwood, flowers, and kumkum on a clean surface in the northeast direction of your house and worship Goddess Jaya and Vijaya and then the Shami tree, putting some soil near the tree.

Worshipping Lord Hanuman can help you get rid of any crisis in life and especially on Dussehra Day, if you offer Jaggery gram and Laddus in the evening, the Lord will protect you, as will Ma Durga if you distribute ten fruits to the less fortunate, chanting Om Vijayaaaye Namaha on Dussehra afternoon. People follow these vaastu tips for invoking divine blessings during Dussehra.

The decorative gift box from amazon.in is a medium-sized set of 6 boxes that can be used for holding Kumkum/Sindoor or as a trinket box to hold jewellery rings and other small accessories for women. Ideal for gifting, and perfect as a decorative puja accessory for Dusshera, this Decorative gift box is designed like a flower, weighing only 49 g and measures 10 x 8 x 5 cm and is made of plastic. Priced at Rs. 269, this set of 6 golden gift boxes for Kumkum/Sindoor is both beautiful & durable. Purchase it from Amazon.

The Marble Puja Chowki Set from Handicrafts Paradise is made of premium quality Makrana marble and adorned with beautiful red edge work embellished with Kundan stones. Made for multi-purpose usage, this chowki can be placed either in the puja room or in one’s living room. Considered an auspicious puja accessory, mostly this handcrafted set of 10 Marble Chowkis is beautifully made and designed in rich & vibrant colors with slight variations in each piece with printed patterns. It is priced at Rs. 995 on Flipkart, and the Marble Puja Chowki Set is hand-painted using enamel, stone and embossing work.

Earth Inspired offers products made of unique, natural, and organic material crafted by women, people with special abilities, prisoners, young entrepreneurs, and community establishments. This aroma gift box by Earth Inspired is a Samidha Set in White priced at Rs. 799.

In Indian tradition, incense burning is considered primordial and treated as therapeutic and calming, for purification of atmosphere and spreading of pleasant aromas. Authentic incenses are usually made of a blend of specific herbs, cow dung, and plant ingredients, and such herbal incense burning powder is called Samidha, which comes with a mix of distinct sacred & healing features. The white Samidha Set includes a pleasantly fragrant herbal incense powder, a special ceramic burner for slow heating, all packaged in a beautiful & eco-friendly gift bag.

A conscientious representation of Lord Ram’s Darbar that gives a glimpse of Lord Ram giving blessings to his people with his wife, brother, and Lord Hanuman, this beautiful sculpture is an ideal gift for someone you love for Dussehra. One of the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Rama holds a giant bow on his strong shoulder while blessing his followers with the Abhaya Hasta (a gesture that symbolises protection & support), with his wife Sita on his left, also showering her blessings and brother Lakshman standing alongside, with Hanuman at Lord Ram’s feet in devotion — priced at Rs. 8,100, this gorgeous piece of art is made in Polyresin and measures 7.5” in height, 8.6” in width and 5.5” in depth, weighing 1.3 kg. It is available on amazon.in.

Gift this captivating gift set with a semi-precious stone studded Durga Idol, and a Gold plated Puja Thali with Puja Accessories on Dussera. Priced at Rs. 2,900, the Durga idol is made of brass metal and is multi-coloured, accompanied with a gold plated thali measuring 8” x 8” x 1” with gold plated puja accessories like kalash, diya, kumkum holder, an incense holder, a spoon and bell also all gold plated. This beautiful and fine quality Brass Durga Idol with Gold Plated Puja Thali is available on igp.com.

Made of pure wood, engraved with Dussehra Wishes, this spiral notebook is ideal for gifting. With a pure wooden hardcover measuring 18 x 13.5 cm in regular size and 24 x 15 cms in large size, the notebook includes 80 pages and has a black elastic band to keep the notebook closed securely. You can personalise this wooden notebook with a custom engraved front cover at no additional charge and personalise the back cover for an additional fee. When you place an order, a preview of the notebook design is emailed to you within 2-3 working days and on approval from you, shipped within 4-5 working days. You can choose to customise the Wooden Notebook in Mahogany or Okoume wood. It is Priced at Rs. 799 on woodgeekstore.com

Rangoli holds an auspicious significance in the Indian tradition and considered a harbinger of divine blessings, prosperity, and positivity in one’s life, welcoming both positive energies as well as guests to one’s home. In time and with numerous changes, the making of rangoli also has witnessed a colourful and vibrant transformation! Presented by Tanariri Hastakala, comes this beautiful combination of pista green and vibrant orange pieces of acrylic rangoli measuring 12 x 12”, weighing just 100 gm as a set. Embellished with colorful stones, this acrylic rangoli set can be placed anywhere in your house, on the floor, walls, or ceiling! This captivating Multi-coloured Rangoli is priced at Rs. 1,029 on pepperfry.com.

Decorated with a laser-cut design and textured finish, this gorgeous Vase and T-Light Candle Holder set is an ideal gifting item, perfect for someone’s living room décor, giving off a refreshing touch of class and style. Including a vase and 2 T-light candle holder, this set of Laser Cut Vase and Candle Holders comes from the brand, Stellar Fantasy, available at homecentre.in, and is priced at Rs. 1,199.

Considered auspicious, wooden temples and puja cabinets made in Sheesham usually have a natural grainy texture that brings to life the floral carvings made by the skilled craftsmen from Saharanpur. Made in Teak Plywood and hand-carved, the Rosewood Puja Unit from aarsunwoods.com includes a drawer for puja accessories with a light provision inside and measures 12” x 8” x 24” in length, width and height. Adorned with beautiful hand-carved designs, this Rosewood Puja Unit is priced at Rs. 3,799.

Made of fiber, here’s a beautiful frame of Lord Hanuman measuring 6” in all and weighing 223 gm. With a colourful background, against a dark brown frame, this image of Lord Hanuman depicts his journey carrying the sanjivni buti for Lakshman when he was hurt, and the image is adorned with a beautiful floral pattern with stone crusted paneling around the image. The frame is double layered in golden and then dark brown. The fiber frame of Lord Hanuman from igp.com is priced at Rs. 342 and is perfect for Dusshera gifting.

Dusshera means different things to different people, from the perspective of religious beliefs, be it in fasting or enjoying a brilliant display of fireworks at a local fair or just a grand celebration that unites communities across the country. Albeit the thought behind the celebrations remains consistent, that of honouring the triumph of good over evil, the ways of celebrations differ between regions.