13 September 2024
Rajasthan Regional holiday | Friday |
Teja Dashmi is an important religious festival that is celebrated in Rajasthan. It usually falls in the month of Bhadrapad in the Hindu calendar, which can be either in August or September in the Gregorian calendar. In the year 2020, Teja Dashmi will fall on 28 August, Friday. Teja Dashmi is a festival that is dedicated to a much-loved folk deity of Rajasthan, called Tejaji or Veer Teja. He is considered to be one of the incarnations of Lord Shiva. He was the son of King Bakshaji and was born in the middle of the 13th century in the Khadnal region of Rajasthan.
Legend has it that Tejaji died while protecting a herd of cattle from hunters. The only part of his body that was not damaged in the fight was his tongue. While he lay dying, he allowed a snake to bite his tongue. The snake bestowed on him the blessing that anyone who sought the blessings of Tejaji would never die from a snakebite. This blessing would also be bestowed on those who prayed for the health of their livestock if they were bitten by a snake. The people of Rajasthan revere Tejaji to this day by observing Teja Dashmi.
Teja Dashmi is celebrated with much fanfare in many parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Tejaji is believed to cure and protect people of snake bite. Devotees visit various shrines of the deity, offer Churma, a Malawi dish, and seek his blessings.