Dussehra falls on the tenth day of the Hindu month Ashvin, and in Maharashtra it stands among the year's most important festivals — a day built entirely around the idea that good, eventually, wins.
1 Ten heads, and a second demon vanquished the same day
"Dussehra" comes from the Sanskrit Dasha (ten) and Hara (defeat) — a direct reference to the ten heads of the demon king Ravana, defeated by Lord Rama and his army at the climax of the Ramayana, after Ravana had abducted Rama's wife Sita. The festival marks that victory: the moment the epic's central conflict resolves.
नवरात्रीचाही दहावा दिवस आहे — त्या नऊ रात्री ज्यांत दुर्गा देवीने महिषासुर या राक्षसाशी युद्ध केले, आणि याच दहाव्या दिवशी तिने अंतिम विजय मिळवला. याच विजयामुळे या दिवसाला दुसरे नाव मिळाले: विजयादशमी, म्हणजे "विजयाचा दहावा दिवस". राम विरुद्ध रावण, दुर्गा विरुद्ध महिषासुर — दोन वेगळ्या परंपरांतील दोन पूर्णतः भिन्न कथा, तरीही दोन्हीही याच दिवशी संपतात असे मानले जाते; दसरा यांपैकी एकाची निवड करत नाही, तो दोन्हींना सामावून घेतो.">Dussehra carries a second, parallel story. It is also the tenth day of Navratri, the nine nights during which Goddess Durga battled the demon Mahishasura — a fight she finally won on this same tenth day. That victory gives the day its other name: Vijayadashami, "the tenth day of victory." Rama against Ravana, Durga against Mahishasura — two entirely different stories from two different traditions, yet both are said to conclude on this exact day; Dussehra doesn't pick one, it holds both.
2 Apta leaves, and Navratri's close in Mukhed
Leaves are gathered
In Maharashtra, families collect leaves of the Shami or Apta tree in the days around Dussehra — locally called the "Apta leaf."
Exchanged as a token of gold
The leaves are given to friends and relatives, symbolically standing in for gold — a gesture of goodwill rather than an actual gift of wealth.
Carrying blessings forward
Along with the leaf comes a spoken wish for prosperity and success, making the exchange as much about relationships as ritual.
सण दिनदर्शिका थंडीच्या महिन्यांकडे वळते.">Dussehra in Mukhed closes out the Navratri season that begins ten days earlier — households exchanging Apta leaves and well wishes as the town's festival calendar turns toward the cooler months ahead.
3 One day, several very different faces
Travel across the country and the same festival barely looks like itself twice. Across much of North and Central India, the day is tied to the climax of Ram Lila plays — a nine-night staging of the Ramayana — and the burning of towering effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakaran. In the east, especially West Bengal, Odisha and Assam, the same festival is Durga Puja, where elaborately dressed idols of Durga are worshipped for days before being immersed on Vijayadashami itself.
In Karnataka, Mysore Dasara stretches into a week-long spectacle of royal processions, decorated elephants and traditional music. Up in Himachal Pradesh, Kullu Dussehra is built around processions that bring together deities from surrounding villages — a regional gathering as much as a religious one.
4 Vijayadashami: what the name means
Worth noticing: the name itself stays neutral. Dussehra points straight at its place on the calendar — it translates literally to "the tenth day." The same festival is just as widely called Vijayadashami, built from the Sanskrit vijaya (victory) and dashami (tenth day), and that name deliberately avoids tying itself to any one specific triumph, whether over Ravana or Mahishasura. It gestures at victory in general, which is exactly why all those regional versions above can sit comfortably under one calendar date.
5 The demons within, and a start for learning
There's a reading of Ravana's ten heads that has nothing to do with mythology's geography and everything to do with character: each one traditionally stands for a different vice — desire, anger, delusion, greed, arrogance, jealousy among them.
So Dussehra isn't only outward ritual; it's also a nudge to recognise and let go of those same traits closer to home. The day doubles as an auspicious start for formal learning, too. On the ninth day of Navratri, students place their books before Goddess Saraswati, and on the tenth, Vijayadashami, they take them back after puja — a small, deliberate way of marking a fresh start in education.
6 Frequently asked questions
When is Dussehra in 2026?
Dussehra falls on 20 October 2026, a Tuesday — the tenth day of the Hindu month Ashvin.
What is Dussehra, why is it celebrated, and where does the name Vijayadashami come from?
Dussehra, also called Vijayadashami, marks Lord Rama's defeat of the ten-headed demon king Ravana at the climax of the Ramayana, and — on the same day — Goddess Durga's victory over the demon Mahishasura at the close of Navratri. Both stories mark the same idea: good triumphing over evil. Dussehra literally means "the tenth day," while Vijayadashami is built from the Sanskrit vijaya (victory) and dashami (tenth day) — both names simply refer to the same day.
What is the Apta leaf tradition?
In Maharashtra, families gather leaves of the Shami or Apta tree around Dussehra and exchange them with friends and relatives as a symbolic token of gold, along with spoken wishes for prosperity and success.
Is Dussehra celebrated in Mukhed?
Yes — Dussehra in Mukhed closes out the Navratri season that begins ten days earlier, with households exchanging Apta leaves and well wishes as the town's festival calendar turns toward the cooler months ahead.
Why is Dussehra considered auspicious for beginning education?
On the ninth day of Navratri, students place their books before Goddess Saraswati and take them back the next day, on Vijayadashami, after puja — a traditional way of marking a fresh start in learning.