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Hindu Festival · 2025 · All Years Guide

Dussehra (Vijayadashami) 2025

Victory of Lord Rama over Ravana, the tenth day after Navratri.

Gregorian dateOctober 2, 2025
Day of weekThursday
PanchangAshwin Shukla Dashami
ReligionHinduism

In 2025, Dussehra (Vijayadashami) falls on Thursday, October 2, 2025. Regional panchang authorities — including the Vakya, Drik, and Surya Siddhanta traditions — may calculate the precise tithi differently, with some communities observing the festival one day earlier or later than the date shown.

Significance of Dussehra (Vijayadashami)

Dussehra, also called Vijayadashami, falls on the tenth day of the bright half of the Hindu lunar month of Ashwin, immediately after the nine nights of Navratri. The festival celebrates two of the most important triumphs of good over evil in Hindu mythology — the victory of Lord Rama over the ten-headed demon king Ravana of Lanka, recounted in the epic Ramayana, and the victory of the goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, recounted in the Devi Mahatmya. The name Dussehra derives from the Sanskrit dasha-hara, meaning the remover of ten — a reference to Ravana's ten heads, each representing a vice such as lust, anger, attachment, greed, pride, jealousy, ego, injustice, cruelty, and selfishness.

Traditions and Observances

In northern and central India, Dussehra is the climactic night of Ramlila — a ten-day theatrical reenactment of the Ramayana performed in towns and villages — culminating in the symbolic burning of towering effigies of Ravana, Meghnath, and Kumbhakarna packed with firecrackers. In southern and eastern India, the day is observed as Vijayadashami with the Ayudha Puja (worship of work tools, vehicles, and instruments), the Vidyarambham initiation of children into formal learning, and processions of richly caparisoned elephants and the Vidhana Soudha in Mysuru. Schools and businesses are blessed for the new working season ahead.

Dussehra (Vijayadashami) 2025 — At a Glance

If you are planning travel, scheduling community events, requesting time off work, or simply marking your family calendar for 2025, the table below summarises every key detail for Dussehra (Vijayadashami) this year, alongside the surrounding observances on either side of the festival in the Hindu lunar calendar.

Detail2025
Gregorian dateOctober 2, 2025
Day of weekThursday
Panchang referenceAshwin Shukla Dashami
TraditionHinduism (regional variations across panchang traditions)

Regional Observance

Mysuru's Dasara Mahotsava is a state festival of Karnataka with a ten-day procession featuring the famous Mysore Palace illuminated by ninety-seven thousand light bulbs and the Jamboo Savari procession of caparisoned elephants carrying the goddess Chamundeshwari's idol on a golden howdah. Kullu Dussehra in Himachal Pradesh extends for seven additional days after the main festival with a procession of over two hundred local deities. Bastar Dussehra in Chhattisgarh is the longest in India at seventy-five days. Bengali Bisarjan involves the immersion of Durga idols in rivers and seas. The southern Vidyarambham initiation in Kerala has children write their first letters in rice grains under the guidance of an elder.

Dussehra (Vijayadashami) Across the Years 2024–2030

The Islamic Hijri calendar is a purely lunar calendar of approximately 354 days, so its observances drift forward by roughly 10–11 days each Gregorian year. The Hindu lunar calendar uses periodic intercalary months (adhik maas) that keep festivals broadly anchored to the seasons. The table below shows the Gregorian date of Dussehra (Vijayadashami) across every year HijriHub covers, allowing you to plan multi-year commemorations, anniversaries, or research at a glance.

YearGregorian dateDay
2024October 12, 2024Saturday
2025October 2, 2025Thursday
2026October 20, 2026Tuesday
2027October 9, 2027Saturday
2028September 28, 2028Thursday
2029October 17, 2029Wednesday
2030October 6, 2030Sunday

How HijriHub calculates Dussehra (Vijayadashami) 2025

Our Hindu festival dates are compiled from the Drik Panchang almanac authority, cross-checked against regional panchang publications including the Mahesh Dharmik Panchang and the Indian government's National Calendar. For festivals tied to specific tithis, nakshatras, or yogas, the date listed corresponds to the day on which the festival is most widely observed in North India under the Drik tradition. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and parts of Karnataka follow the Vakya tradition that may shift the observance by a day. Bengal's Vishuddha Siddhanta and the lunisolar calendars of Maharashtra and Gujarat occasionally differ. Always confirm with your family priest or local temple before finalising ritual plans.

Other Years

Other Holidays in October 2025