Festivals · 2026

Dussehra (Vijayadashami) 2026: The Computed Date, Tithi and Muhurat

Quick answer: Dussehra (Vijayadashami) 2026 falls on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, during the Ashwina Shukla Dashami tithi that runs from 12:50 IST on 20 October to 14:12 IST on 21 October. The observance follows the afternoon (aparahna) rule, with Ravana Dahan performed after the Dashami tithi is established.

By Dr. R.P. Sharma, Vedic astrologer since 1979 · timings computed on real sidereal positions

Why 20 October: Vijayadashami follows the aparahna-vyapini rule — the dashami must cover the afternoon. The tithi runs 20-10-2026 12:50 to 21-10-2026 14:12 IST: it covers the whole aparahna of the 20th, while by mid-afternoon on the 21st, ekadashi considerations begin. Hence Dussehra 2026 falls on Tuesday, 20 October.

Dussehra (Vijayadashami) 2026 falls on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. The governing tithi — Ashwina Shukla Dashami, the day of victory — runs from 20-10-2026 12:50 IST to 21-10-2026 14:12 IST, computed from the ephemeris with the Lahiri ayanamsa, the way a Panchang actually derives it. The observance follows aparahna (afternoon).

The nine nights preceding are covered in Sharad Navratri 2026.

How this date is fixed

Dussehra, also written Dasara or Dashera and called Vijayadashami, marks the victory of good over evil. Hindu observances are fixed by the panchang, not by the Gregorian calendar — which is why the date moves each year and can differ abroad.

Dussehra 2026 muhurat: Vijay Muhurat, aparahna puja and Ravana Dahan (New Delhi)

All times are computed with the Swiss Ephemeris for New Delhi (sunrise 6:25 am, sunset 5:47 pm) and agree within a minute or two with the published panchang windows. Dashami covers the whole of the 20th's afternoon and Shravana holds until 6:02 pm, so both the tithi rule and the nakshatra rule point to the 20th.

What is done on Vijayadashami, in order

1. Morning: the Navratri kalash and the Devi are given farewell (visarjan) after a last puja; in Bengal the Sindoor Khela and Bijoya greetings begin.
2. Aparahna: Aparajita puja to the undefeated Devi, Shami puja at the Shami (khejri) tree with the exchange of Shami leaves as "gold", and Shastra or Ayudha puja of the tools of one's work: books, instruments, vehicles, weapons.
3. Vijay Muhurat: the hour for starting anything: Vidyarambh for children, the first entry of a new vehicle or shop, the Seemollanghan walk across the village boundary.
4. After sunset: Ramlila's last act and Ravana Dahan, the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad, with Rama's arrow lighting them.

Two victories on one day

Vijayadashami closes both stories the nine nights tell. In the northern telling it is the day Rama killed Ravana, which is why the effigies burn and the day is called Dussehra, the tenth day that ends the ten-headed one. In the eastern telling it is the day Durga slew Mahishasura, which is why the Devi is immersed and the day is Bijoya. Both share the same tithi and the same lesson: the effort of nine nights is completed by a decisive act on the tenth.

Dussehra across India

• Delhi and the north: Ramlila grounds, Ravana Dahan after sunset, Shami leaves exchanged; muhurat work resumes with the abujha muhurat of the day.
• Mysuru: the Jamboo Savari procession with Chamundeshwari on the golden howdah on Vijayadashami afternoon, the climax of the royal Dasara.
• Kullu: Kullu Dussehra begins on Vijayadashami with Raghunath's rath and runs a week, when the rest of the country has finished.
• Bastar: the 75-day Bastar Dussehra reaches its final rites in this week, centred on Danteshwari rather than Rama.
• Bengal, Odisha, Assam: Bijoya Dashami, Sindoor Khela at the pandal, immersion, and the elders' blessing with sweets.
• Maharashtra and Gujarat: Apta (Shami) leaves given as gold, Saraswati and Ayudha puja; the garba season closes.

Dos and don'ts on Dussehra

• Do keep the Aparajita and Shami puja inside the aparahna window; it is the puja that defines the day.
• Do begin the new venture, study or purchase in the Vijay Muhurat; Vijayadashami is one of the three and a half abujha muhurats of the year, needing no separate muhurat calculation.
• Don't cut a Shami tree or take more than a few leaves; the leaf is the offering, not the branch.
• Don't hold Ravana Dahan before sunset; the burning belongs to the evening after the Dashami puja is complete.

How the day is kept

Shami and Aparajita puja, ayudha-vandana and the burning of Ravana mark the aparahna of Dashami — also counted among the year's few self-sufficient (abujha) muhurats for beginnings.

Why the tithi window matters more than the date

A Hindu festival is not a civil date; it is a tithi caught at a particular quality of time — aparahna (afternoon) here. When the tithi straddles two days, the rule decides the day, which is why two neighbouring calendars sometimes disagree while both cite the same sky. The window printed above is the actual astronomy; the rule applied to it is the tradition. Together they give you the answer the forwards never explain. For the method itself, see our muhurat & festivals guide.

Chandra Grahan 28 August 2026 Time in India: 06:54 AM IST

See also: Navratri 2026 worldwide — Ghatasthapana time in your city · Pitru Paksha 2026 — dates and shradh vidhi.

See also: Surya Grahan 2027 In India Date And Time.