Vijayadashami and Dussehra 2026 explained: Rama's victory over Ravana, Durga's over Mahishasura, Ravan dahan, Mysuru Dasara, Bengal's Bijoya and Shami puja.
Effigies of Ravana and his brothers before Ravan Dahan on Dussehra. Photo: Thesocialtalks, CC0, Wikimedia Commons.
Rama and Ravana. In the Ramayana, Ravana, king of Lanka, abducts Sita.
Effigies of Ravana and his brothers before Ravan Dahan on Dussehra. Photo: Thesocialtalks, CC0, Wikimedia Commons.
In much of north India, the nine nights are the season of Ramlila, staged retellings of the Ramayana by local troupes in open grounds, some running for many years in the same neighbourhood.
Effigies of Ravana and his brothers before Ravan Dahan on Dussehra. Photo: Thesocialtalks, CC0, Wikimedia Commons.
In Karnataka, Mysuru Dasara is the state festival, with a history tied to the Wodeyar royal family and earlier to the Vijayanagara kingdom.
Festival of the Goddess Durga at Calcutta, a 19th-century print. Photo: Louis-Henri de Rudder / After Alexei Dmitriyevich Saltykov, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.
In Bengal, the day is Bijoya Dashami. The mood is bittersweet: the Goddess, seen as a daughter visiting her parents' home, is returning to Shiva in Kailash.
Effigies of Ravana and his brothers before Ravan Dahan on Dussehra. Photo: Thesocialtalks, CC0, Wikimedia Commons.
In Maharashtra and other regions, people worship the Shami tree on Dasara.
Effigies of Ravana and his brothers before Ravan Dahan on Dussehra. Photo: Thesocialtalks, CC0, Wikimedia Commons.
In Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, Ayudha Puja is usually observed on Navami: tools, vehicles, books, musical instruments and computers are cleaned, decorated and worshipped alongside Saraswati Puja.
Effigies of Ravana and his brothers before Ravan Dahan on Dussehra. Photo: Thesocialtalks, CC0, Wikimedia Commons.
If you kept a kalash during Navratri, Vijayadashami is often the day to close it: offer a final puja, distribute the barley sprouts and pour the water into plants.
A kalash (ghat) with a lamp, leaves and flowers, set up for worship. Photo: Ashish Suryavanshi858, CC0, Wikimedia Commons.
Vijayadashami and Dussehra 2026 explained: Rama's victory over Ravana, Durga's over Mahishasura, Ravan dahan, Mysuru Dasara, Bengal's Bijoya and Shami puja.
Dussehra and Vijayadashami → Next story: Navratri fasting rules: what to eat and what to avoid All photo storiesMusic: Garba dance during Navaratri festival in Mehsana Gujarat India, Nizil Shah, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.