dussehra 2026

When is Dussehra 2026? Dussehra kab hai 2026

दशहरा 2026 कब है? इस साल विजयदशमी मंगलवार, 20 अक्टूबर को है। दसरा कधी आहे? यंदा विजयादशमी मंगळवार, 20 ऑक्टोबर रोजी आहे.

The Dussehra date 2026 is Tuesday, 20 October, on Ashwin Shukla Dashami, the tenth lunar day of the bright half of the month. Count from Ghatasthapana on 11 October and you reach Vijayadashami on the tenth day. The Vijayadashami meaning is simple: "the tenth day of victory". Dussehra 2026 date, in short: Tuesday, 20 October, with Navratri ending the day before.

Festival	Dussehra, Vijayadashami, Dasara
Day and date	Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Tithi	Ashwin Shukla Dashami
Vijay Muhurat (reference)	1:59 PM to 2:45 PM
Follows	Sharad Navratri (11 to 19 October)
Followed by	Kojagari Purnima, then Dhanteras and Diwali on 8 November

Vijay Muhurat on Dussehra 2026

These are New Delhi reference times. Vijay Muhurat moves with sunrise and sunset, so it shifts by a few minutes in other cities.

Dussehra muhurat & Choghadiya calculator by city

Times are calculated for each city and can differ by a minute or two from a printed panchang. For cities outside India, confirm the local date as well. Where Dashami begins after the afternoon window, such as in Australia and New Zealand, the page will say so.

Is Dussehra on 20 or 21 October?

Dussehra is on 20 October. Vijayadashami puja belongs to the afternoon (Aparahna), and the rule is to take the first day on which Dashami covers that window. Dashami starts at 12:50 PM on the 20th, before the afternoon puja time begins, so the 20th qualifies. The Vijayadashami date 2026 for most of India is therefore Tuesday, 20 October. Calendars that print the 21st go by the tithi at sunrise, when Dashami is still running until 2:11 PM.

Regional calendars differ. In West Bengal, Bijoya Dashami (Vijaya Dashami 2026), sindoor khela and the Durga immersions are on Wednesday, 21 October. Some calendars in Karnataka and Kerala also mark the day on 21 October (Vidyarambham in Kerala). For Ravan Dahan and the Vijay Muhurat in most of India, plan around Tuesday, 20 October.

Dussehra 2026 calendar: Navratri to Dussehra

Date	Observance
Sun, 11 Oct	Navratri begins, Ghatasthapana
Mon, 19 Oct	Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami (most North Indian calendars)
Tue, 20 Oct	Dussehra, Vijayadashami, Ravan Dahan
Wed, 21 Oct	Bijoya Dashami in Bengal; Vidyarambham in Kerala

Why is Dussehra celebrated? The Dussehra story

Why we celebrate Dussehra depends on where you grew up. Two stories sit behind the Dussehra 2026 festival, and both end with good defeating evil. This is also why people ask why Dasara is celebrated and get two different answers.

Dussehra story: Rama and Ravana

Across most of North and Central India the Dussehra story is the Ramayana. Ravana, the ten-headed king of Lanka, carried off Sita. Lord Rama, with Hanuman and the vanara army, fought him for ten days and defeated him on Vijayadashami. The name "Dussehra" is often traced to dasha-hara, the removal of the ten heads. That is why tall effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad are burned at the end of the Ramlila.

Vijayadashami story: Durga and Mahishasura

In Bengal, Odisha, Assam and parts of the south, the Vijayadashami story is about Goddess Durga. After nine nights of battle she slew the buffalo demon Mahishasura on the tenth day. Navratri honours the goddess in her nine forms, and Vijayadashami marks her victory. The same Dasara story is told in Mysuru, where the festival closes with a grand procession.

A third tradition from the Mahabharata says the Pandavas hid their weapons in a Shami tree before their exile and retrieved them on this day, which is why weapons and tools are worshipped.

Significance of Dussehra (Vijayadashami significance)

The significance of Dussehra 2026, like every year, is the idea of a fresh, victorious start. Burning Ravana's ten heads is a symbol of dropping ten inner faults, such as ego, anger, greed and jealousy. The festival also ends Navratri, so the energy of nine nights of worship is carried into the new beginning.

Dussehra history is long. Ramlila performances are centuries old, and Mysuru Dasara goes back to the Vijayanagara period. Today the day is treated as one of the three and a half most auspicious days of the year (sade teen muhurat), along with Gudi Padwa, Akshaya Tritiya and half of Bali Pratipada in the Diwali week. Many families start a business, buy a vehicle or home, or begin a child's first lessons without checking for a separate muhurat.

What to start on Dussehra: new beginnings

Because Vijayadashami is a self-contained auspicious day, families use it for fresh starts. Common choices are:

• Buying a vehicle, and doing vahan puja with a tilak, flowers and a coconut.
• Opening a shop or starting a business, with Shastra puja on the tools and account books.
• Property purchases, registrations and signing important papers.
• Vidyarambham, a child's first writing or music lesson, and starting a new course.
• Buying gold, books or a first instrument for a student.

If you want a specific timing, choose an hour inside the Vijay Muhurat or a good Choghadiya such as Amrit, Shubh or Labh from the calculator above.

Dussehra customs and food

Customs change from state to state. Many homes make a sweet meal with kheer, puran poli, shrikhand-puri or jalebi, and Gujarat is known for fafda and jalebi on this day. Families wear new or clean clothes, visit elders, and meet friends at the Ramlila or the Ravan Dahan ground in the evening. Some also keep the Navratri fast until the morning parana, then eat a full meal after the puja.

Dussehra puja vidhi at home

For Dussehra puja 2026, do the Vijayadashami puja in the Aparahna window, ideally inside the Vijay Muhurat. This simple Dussehra puja vidhi works at home or in a shop.

1. Clean the place and draw a small rangoli. Place a picture of Rama, Durga or your family deity on a clean cloth.
2. Draw a square with cow dung or sandalwood paste, and set a kalash with water and mango leaves.
3. Worship Aparajita Devi. Offer kumkum, flowers, akshat and incense, and take the sankalp for success and protection.
4. Do Shastra puja. Worship your tools, books, vehicle or account books with flowers and a tilak. Many shopkeepers and craftsmen do this on Dussehra.
5. Perform Shami puja. Offer water and flowers to a Shami or Apta tree, or to its leaves, and pray for victory and prosperity.
6. End with aarti and distribute sweets. Exchange the leaves with family and elders.

Keep ready: pictures or idols, kumkum, haldi, akshat, flowers, incense, a ghee lamp, Shami or Apta leaves, sweets and fruit. If you want a personal muhurat for a new venture, our horoscope and kundali service can check it against your chart.

Ravan Dahan 2026

Ravan Dahan 2026 is held on the evening of Tuesday, 20 October, after sunset. Ramlila troupes end their ten-night performance, and effigies stuffed with fireworks are lit in open grounds. Reach early, avoid driving near the grounds, and keep children and pets at a safe distance. Use the calculator above to see your city's sunset.

Dussehra in Maharashtra

In Maharashtra Dussehra is also called Dasara, and the highlight is "sone" exchange. Families pluck leaves of the Apta tree and give them to elders and friends as "gold", with the words "sone ghya, sonyasarkhe vha". Vehicles, tools and books are worshipped, and the Saraswati and Ayudha puja of Navami often flows into the day. Many families start something new, since the day is a sade teen muhurat.

Dussehra across India

In Delhi and North India, Ramlilas end with Ravan Dahan. Kota in Rajasthan holds a large fair. In Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, the Dussehra festival begins on this day with a procession of local deities. In Mysuru the Dasara procession closes ten days of celebrations. In Bengal it is Bijoya Dashami, with sindoor khela and immersions on the 21st this year.

Dussehra 2026 dos and don'ts

• Do the puja in the afternoon, ideally within the Vijay Muhurat.
• Worship your tools, books and vehicle, and start new work with a prayer.
• Eat a satvik meal, share sweets, and visit elders for blessings.
• Avoid starting arguments or taking decisions in anger on the day of victory.
• Be careful with fireworks and fire at Ravan Dahan.

Happy Dussehra wishes to share

• Happy Dussehra! May good always win over evil in your life.
• Wishing you a victorious Vijayadashami and a bright year ahead.
• विजयादशमी की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ! आपके जीवन में सदा विजय और सुख बना रहे।
• दसऱ्याच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा! तुमच्या आयुष्यात सोन्यासारखे दिवस येवोत.

Dussehra FAQ