Dussehra (Vijayadashami)
Dussehra, the Hindu festival of victory: Rama's defeat of Ravana, Durga's triumph over Mahishasura, and celebrations from Ravana effigies to the Mysore Dasara and Nepal's Dashain.
Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami, is the Hindu festival celebrating the victory of good over evil. It falls on the tenth day of the bright half of the month of Ashvin, in September or October, immediately after the nine nights of Navaratri. In much of north India it is famous for the burning of giant effigies of the demon king Ravana; elsewhere it celebrates the goddess Durga's victory, or marks an auspicious day to begin new ventures.
The name Dussehra comes from the Sanskrit dasha-hara, often explained as “the removal of the ten (-headed one)”, referring to Ravana. Vijayadashami means “the tenth day of victory”.
The stories
- Rama and Ravana: in north India, Dussehra marks the day Rama killed the ten-headed Ravana, king of Lanka, who had abducted Sita. Twenty days later, Rama's return home is celebrated at Diwali.
- Durga and Mahishasura: in eastern India, the day marks Durga's final victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura after nine days of battle.
- The Pandavas: in the Mahabharata tradition, the Pandava brothers recovered the weapons they had hidden in a shami tree at the end of their exile. In some regions people exchange shami or apta leaves as symbols of gold.
Ramlila and Ravana Dahan
During the nights of Navaratri, communities across north India stage the Ramlila, a dramatic performance of the Ramayana. It reaches its climax on Dussehra with Ravana Dahan: huge effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and his son Meghanada, stuffed with fireworks, are set alight, usually by a performer playing Rama, who shoots a flaming arrow. The Ramlila of Ramnagar, near Varanasi, lasts a month and is performed across the town, with the Maharaja of Benares in attendance.
Regional celebrations
Mysore Dasara
In Mysuru (Mysore), Karnataka, Dasara is the state festival. The goddess Chamundeshwari, a form of Durga who killed Mahishasura, is honoured with ten days of celebrations. The Mysore Palace is lit by nearly 100,000 bulbs, and on Vijayadashami a grand procession, the Jamboo Savari, carries the goddess's image through the city in a golden howdah on an elephant.
Kullu Dussehra
In the Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh, the festival begins on Vijayadashami and lasts a week. Hundreds of local deities are carried in palanquins from surrounding villages to pay homage to Raghunath, a form of Rama.
Bengal
In Bengal, Vijayadashami is the last day of Durga Puja. Married women smear one another with vermilion (sindoor khela), and the images of Durga are carried in procession and immersed in rivers.
South India
The day before, Ayudha Puja, tools, vehicles and books are blessed. Vijayadashami is considered the most auspicious day for young children to begin learning, in a ceremony called Vidyarambham, in which they write their first letters in rice or sand.
Nepal: Dashain
In Nepal, the same period is celebrated as Dashain, the country's biggest festival, lasting fifteen days. On the tenth day, elders place a tika of red rice and yogurt on the foreheads of younger relatives and give them blessings and barley shoots (jamara).
Dussehra in the UK
British Hindu communities mark Dussehra at the end of their Navaratri celebrations, and some temples and community groups stage Ramlila performances and burn Ravana effigies, with the necessary local permissions.
Sources and further reading
- Christopher Fuller, The Camphor Flame, revised edn (Princeton University Press, 2004).
- Richard Schechner, “Ramlila of Ramnagar”, in Performative Circumstances (Seagull, 1983).
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, “Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana” (2008).