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Dussehra
The victory of Rama over Ravana, acted in Ramlila, and a week of nati dancing at Kullu.
What is danced for Dussehra
Dussehra, or Vijayadashami, is the tenth day after the nine nights of Navratri. It marks the victory of Rama over the demon king Ravana, and of the goddess over the buffalo demon. Across north India the story of Rama is acted in the open over many nights as Ramlila, with song and dance, and ends with the burning of giant figures of Ravana. In the Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh the festival starts on this day and lasts a week. Village gods are carried in on palanquins, and people dance the nati in long linked lines.
The dances
Written by the Ghungroo desk with AI assistance. Background: "Vijayadashami" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Ramlila: Ankit Gupta, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nati: Ramesh Lalwani, CC BY 2.0, source