Northern India In most of
Northern India, Vijayadashami is celebrated in honour of Lord
Rama. In many places, the
Ramlila, a dramatic performance on story of Rama is enacted over the 9 days leading up to the festival. The performance is inspired from the Ramcharitmanas, a Hindu text written by
Tulsidas. Effigies of the demons Ravana,
Kumbhakarna and
Meghnath are also created and burnt on bonfires in the evening. In other cities, such as
Varanasi, the entire story is freely acted out by performance-artists before the public every evening for a month. The performance arts tradition during the Dussehra festival was inscribed by
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as one of the "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" in 2008. It is celebrated across Northern India for Dussehra, but particularly in historically important Hindu cities of
Ayodhya,
Varanasi,
Vrindavan,
Almora,
Satna and
Madhubani. The special feature of the Kullu Dussehra procession is the arrival of floats containing deities from different parts of the nearby regions and their journey to
Kullu.
Southern India Vijayadashami is celebrated in a variety of ways in
Southern India. Celebrations range from worshipping Durga, lighting up temples and major forts such as at Mysore, to displaying colourful figurines, known as a
gombe habba. The festival played a historical role in the 14th-century
Vijayanagara Empire, where it was called
Mahanavami. The Italian traveller
Niccolò de' Conti described the festival's intensity and importance as a grandeur religious and martial event with royal support. The event revered Durga as the warrior goddess (some texts refer to her as Chamundeshwari). The celebrations hosted athletic competitions, singing and dancing, fireworks, a pageantry military parade and charitable giving to the public. Portuguese travellers like
Domingo Paes and
Fernao Nuniz who visited Vijayanagara Empire in the 16th century described the Dasara elephant procession and the Vajra Mushti Kalaga wrestling bouts. The city of
Mysore has traditionally been a major center of Dasara-Vijayadashami celebrations. A unique tradition of Dasara festival in
Kulasekrapattinam in Tamil Nadu. Here devotees dress up as god, goddess, beggars and other symbolic figures to fulfill their vow to the deity. Those who disguise themselves as other figures usually observe 41 days of fasting. Unlike normal Dasaras, where Lord Ram kills Ravan, here Goddess Mutharamman (Durga)'s victory over the Bison headed demon Mahishasura is celebrated as "Mahishasura Vadham".Lakhs of devotees flock the coastal town to get Goddess' blessings and to get a glimpse of the Mahishasura Vadham. Dasara in Kulasekrapattinam is different, raw and explains the cultures of Tamil Nadu. Like Kerela School Admissions start on Vijayadashami.
Western India In
Gujarat, people engage the popular festival,
Navaratri, a nine-day festival that takes place before Vijayadashami. Both the goddess Durga and Rama are revered for their victory over evil. Fasting and prayers at temples are common. A regional dance called
Dandiya Raas, that deploys colourfully decorated sticks, and
garba, (another type of regional dance) is a part of the festivities through the night. The
Gondi people instead celebrate Ravana by carrying an image of him riding an elephant and singing praises to him, as they consider Ravana as their ancestor and one of their gods. In Goa, this festival is locally known as
Dasro in
Konkani. It marks Durga's victory over the demon
Mahishasura. Insignia known as
Taranga play an important role in the festivities, which are sacred umbrellas that symbolize the village deities. At many temples, a dance of the Tarangas is held.
Oracles are associated with Dasara in
Goa. On this day, a ritual called
Seemollanghan of the deities is held. For this people make a symbolic crossing of the border of their village. The icons of deities are carried in a grand procession. The tradition traces its roots to ancient times when kings would cross the border of their kingdom to wage war with the neighbouring kingdom. After Seemollanghan, there is a tradition wherein people exchange
Aaptyachi pana. These leave symbolise gold and the ritual is a symbolic representation of the exchange of gold. The festival is also celebrated as a harvest festival by farmers and has an important association with Agricultural activities. At Dussehra,
Kharif crops like rice, guar, cotton, soybean, maize, finger millet, pulses are generally ready for harvest, farmers begin their harvest on the day. Farmers bring crops like Kharif crops from their fields for further processing and for trade. Due to this, daily arrivals of these crops in markets of the country normally increases significantly during this period. The festival has been historically important in Maharashtra. Maratha forces in 17th and 18th centuries including those of
Shivaji and the Peshwas would start their new military campaigns on Dasara. In
North Maharashtra this festival is known as
Dasara, and on this day people wear new clothes, and touch feet of elderly people and deities of the village temple. The deities installed on the first day of Navaratri are immersed in water. Observers visit each other and exchange sweets. Many communities in Maharashtra including the tribal communities of warli and Kokna exchange leaves of
Apta tree as symbol of gold. In
Mewar region of
Rajasthan, both Durga and Rama have been celebrated on Vijayadashami, and it has been a major festival for Rajput warriors. ==Nepal==