Dussehra (Vijayadashami)

Vijayadashami is the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Ashvin, immediately after Maha Navami. Since the bright fortnight belongs to Ashvin in both calendar systems, the date is the same across India. 'Dussehra' comes from dasha-hara, often explained as 'the defeat of the ten-headed one', and 'Vijayadashami' means 'the tenth of victory'.

Panchangs choose the day on which Dashami prevails in Aparahna, the afternoon portion of the day. Tradition holds that the Vijaya muhurat, a short window in the afternoon, is so auspicious that any new venture begun in it succeeds, and Shravana nakshatra on the day is considered especially favourable. Ravana's effigy is traditionally burned after sunset.

Rama and Ravana. In the Ramayana, Rama, with Lakshmana, Hanuman and the army of vanaras, crosses to Lanka to rescue Sita and kills the ten-headed Ravana in battle. Valmiki does not tie the battle to a calendar date, but North Indian tradition celebrates Ravana's defeat on Vijayadashami, and the Ramlila performed over the preceding nights builds up to it. Popular tradition also says Rama worshipped the Goddess and the Shami tree before setting out.

Durga and Mahishasura. The Devi Mahatmya (Markandeya Purana) tells how the gods' combined radiance took the form of the Goddess, who battled the buffalo-demon Mahishasura and slew him. Tradition places her victory on the tenth day after nine nights of battle; in Bengal, Vijayadashami is also the day Durga returns to Mount Kailash after her yearly visit home.

The Pandavas and the Shami tree. In the Mahabharata's Virata Parva, the Pandavas hid their weapons in a Shami tree before their year in disguise; at the end of it, Arjuna retrieved them to defend the kingdom of Virata. Tradition links this to Vijayadashami and is one reason the Shami tree is worshipped on this day.

Kautsa and the rain of gold. In Maharashtra, a story tells of the young scholar Kautsa who sought gold for his guru's fee from King Raghu; Kubera rained gold onto apta and shami trees, and the surplus was shared with the people. This is why apta leaves are exchanged as 'gold' on Dussehra.

Observances differ widely by region; these are the most common.

The Shami prayer is recited during the tree's worship; this text is quoted in the Shabdakalpadruma's account of the victory festival (vijayotsava). The verse from the Devi Mahatmya hailing the Goddess as the auspiciousness of all that is auspicious is chanted at Durga's farewell.

Across North India, Ramlila, the dramatic enactment of the Ramayana inscribed by UNESCO in 2008 as intangible cultural heritage, is staged for ten days or more; UNESCO names Ayodhya, Ramnagar, Varanasi, Vrindavan, Almora, Satna and Madhubani among its most representative. Ramnagar's Ramlila near Varanasi lasts about a month. On Dussehra evening, giant effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad are burned in open grounds.

In West Bengal and the east, Bijoya Dashami ends Durga Puja: married women play sindoor khela, smearing vermilion on the Goddess and each other, images are immersed, and people greet each other with 'Shubho Bijoya'. Mysuru's Dasara, celebrated since 1610 according to the official Dasara site, culminates in Shami puja and the Jamboo Savari, in which Goddess Chamundeshwari is carried on an elephant in a golden howdah to Bannimantap. In Himachal Pradesh, Kullu's week-long Dussehra begins as the rest of India celebrates, with the rath of Lord Raghunath and hundreds of village deities gathering at Dhalpur. Bastar Dussehra in Chhattisgarh is a festival of about 75 days devoted to Goddess Danteshwari, with no Ravana effigy at all. In Gujarat, the night after Navratri ends with fafda-jalebi on Dussehra morning.

Dussehra foods are as varied as its forms: jalebi and fafda in Gujarat, shrikhand-puri in Maharashtra, payasam and festival meals in the south, and in Bengal the sweets of Bijoya, such as narkel naru and nimki, offered to visitors. Children fly kites in some regions, and fairs spring up around the Ravana grounds. Many families buy new vehicles, gold or tools on the day, and businesses begin new ventures. In some places people take care to choose smaller, eco-friendly effigies and reduce fireworks.

Vijayadashami celebrates the victory of dharma over adharma, but its deeper sense is inner: Ravana's ten heads are often explained as ten failings, such as lust, anger, greed, pride and jealousy, that each person must overcome, and Mahishasura as the brute ignorance the Goddess destroys. Coming after nine nights of discipline and devotion, the tenth day is a day for new beginnings: setting out, starting to learn, and renewing respect for one's tools and work. As with Ramlila, it is also one of India's great community occasions, when whole neighbourhoods come together to tell the old stories once again.