Vijayadashami / Dussehra 2026 விஜயதசமி

The day in the Tamil calendar

Timings for Chennai. The date follows the Tamil Nadu calendar.

About the festival

Vijayadashami, the 'tenth day of victory', follows the nine nights of Navaratri and celebrates the triumph of good over evil: in much of northern India it marks Rama's victory over Ravana, while in southern India it is associated with the goddess Durga (as Chamundeshwari) defeating the demon Mahishasura.^1,2,3

In Tamil Nadu the day is traditionally regarded as a good day to begin learning or new undertakings, and young children are often introduced to writing their first letters (Vidyarambham), including at the Maha Saraswathi Amman temple in Thiruvarur.^3,4

Books, instruments and tools placed for worship on Saraswathi and Ayudha Pooja stay untouched until Vijayadashami, and in homes that keep a Golu, one of the dolls is laid to rest on this last day of the festival.^4,5

At the Mutharamman temple in Kulasekarapattinam, devotees dress up in the guise of deities, kings, beggars and other figures as part of the Dasara celebrations there.^3,5

When it falls: Vijayadashami falls on Dashami, the tenth day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the lunar month Ashvina, immediately after Sharad Navaratri, in September or October.^1,3

Sources

1. britannica.com
2. britannica.com
3. Wikipedia: Vijayadashami
4. tamilnadutourism.tn.gov.in
5. tamilnadutourism.tn.gov.in

Vijayadashami / Dussehra in other years