Overview
Vijayadashami (Sanskrit: विजयदशमी), more commonly known as Dasara, Dassahra or Dussehra, and also referred to as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival observed at the conclusion of Durga Puja and Navaratri. It falls on the tenth day of the waxing moon (Shukla Paksha) in the month of Ashvin, the seventh month in the Hindu lunisolar calendar, corresponding to September or October in the Gregorian calendar.
The festival is observed for different reasons and celebrated in varied ways across India and Nepal. In the southern, eastern, northeastern and some northern states of India, Vijayadashami marks the conclusion of Durga Puja, commemorating the goddess Durga's victory over the demon Mahishasura, an event traditionally associated with the restoration and protection of dharma. In the northern, central and western states, it marks the end of Ramlila and commemorates the deity Rama's victory over Ravana. In some traditions, the day is also observed as a reverence to one of the aspects of Durga.
Celebrations commonly include processions to a river or seafront, in which clay images of Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya are carried with music and chants, before being immersed in water as a ritual of dissolution and farewell. In other regions, towering effigies of Ravana, representing evil, are set alight along with fireworks to symbolise the destruction of evil. Ramlila performances, which dramatise episodes from the Ramayana over the preceding days, often culminate in this ritual on Vijayadashami.
Vijayadashami also signals the beginning of preparations for Deepavali, the festival of lights, which is celebrated twenty days later. The festival thus serves both as a culmination of the Navaratri season and as a transition into the wider cycle of autumn festivities observed across the Hindu calendar.