Ramacandra Vijayotsava

What is Ramacandra Vijayotsava?

Ramacandra Vijayotsava is the festival of Lord Ramacandra's victory over Ravana, the ten-headed king who had kidnapped Mother Sita. Devotees celebrate it on Vijayadashami, the tenth day, and many people know it as Dussehra. In 2026 it falls on Wednesday, 21 October, which is also the appearance day of Sri Madhvacarya.

Significance

Lord Ramacandra is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared as a perfect king. Srila Prabhupada writes that the Lord has many agents who can vanquish demons, yet He descends especially to please His unalloyed devotees. Ravana's defeat shows that power gained through austerity but misused for evil does not last, and that the Lord protects those who depend on Him. In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna explains why He appears:

To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.

Bhagavad-gita 4.8

How to observe it

Devotees hear the story of Lord Ramacandra and chant the holy names of Krishna, including the name Rama in the maha-mantra. In many places effigies of Ravana are burnt on this day. The fire reminds us to burn away the evil within ourselves, and Ravana's own fall makes the lesson plain.

Read more: Dussehra: Date, History, Significance & Celebrations