Dussehra (Vijayadashami)

The word 'Dussehra' means 'the removal of ten', symbolizing the destruction of Ravana's ten heads, or the ten vices they represent. It is believed that on this very tithi, Lord Rama slayed Ravana and won victory over Lanka, freeing Sita from her captivity. This is why the day is also called Vijayadashami, meaning 'the victory of the tenth tithi'.

According to legend, before his battle with Ravana, Lord Rama invoked and worshipped Maa Durga through an 'Akal Bodhan', an untimely invocation, performed outside its usual season, seeking victory. This is why the worship of Maa Durga through Shardiya Navratri and Rama's victory on Dussehra are celebrated as connected to one another. Dussehra is kept on the day Dashami tithi holds in the afternoon (aparahna), and the Vijay Muhurat within that afternoon is considered the day's most auspicious time.

In the Bengal tradition, the Durga idol worshipped over the nine days is immersed in a river or water body on Vijayadashami itself, in the belief that Maa Durga returns to her marital home in Kailash after her stay at her parents'. Dussehra is counted among India's most auspicious days, the 'Sade Teen Muhurats', on which any new undertaking can be started without checking a separate muhurat.

In many cities of North India, giant effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Meghnad are built in large grounds, and after Ramlila performances, are set ablaze in the evening in the ritual known as 'Ravana Dahan'. The event is regarded as a symbol of good's victory over evil.

In West Bengal, Odisha, and Assam, the Durga idol is immersed on the same day with a grand procession. Married women offer sindoor to Maa Durga and apply it to one another, in a ritual called 'Sindoor Khela'.

In the afternoon, Goddess Aparajita is worshipped in an eight-petalled lotus drawn in the north-east corner of the home, with a prayer for victory. Then the Shami tree is worshipped: Rama is believed to have worshipped it before setting out for Lanka, and the Pandavas hid their weapons in a Shami tree during their year in disguise. The verse 'Shami shamayate papam shami shatru vinashini' is recited as its leaves are given, and in many regions the leaves are exchanged as a symbol of gold. Shastra Puja is also done on this day.

Maharashtra keeps the custom of Simollanghan, crossing the village boundary, and exchanges apta leaves as 'gold'. Mysuru's Dasara ends with the Jamboo Savari, when the image of Chamundeshwari is carried on an elephant. In Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, Dussehra begins on this day and runs for a week, and in Kerala children begin their first letters on this day in the Vidyarambham.