Dussehra / Vijayadashami in Aurangabad

Date and Timing in This City

In Aurangabad, Dussehra — also called Vijayadashami — falls on Tuesday 20 October 2026. The following year it falls on Saturday 9 October 2027. These dates are computed for Aurangabad's own sunrise, in the Asia/Kolkata time zone, so they reflect the local panchang rather than a national broadcast schedule.

The festival is observed on Ashwin Shukla Dashami — the tenth tithi of the bright fortnight of Ashwin. Because the tithi is a lunar measure and not a fixed clock hour, its span decides which civil day carries the observance in a given city.

Why the Date Can Differ from India

It is common to see a festival listed for "India" on one date and for a specific city on another. A tithi begins and ends at precise moments, and those moments are the same everywhere in absolute time; what changes is the local sunrise that anchors the day. When a tithi is running at sunrise in one place but has not yet begun at sunrise in another, the observance shifts by a day.

Sunrise in Aurangabad and sunrise in, say, the far east or far south of the country do not occur at the same instant, so the tithi that is current at each city's sunrise can differ. This is why a careful panchang is read for the place where you actually are. Traditions also differ on reckoning: some communities follow the amanta month system and others the purnimanta, and Smarta and Vaishnava households may give weight to different portions of the day. Where customs vary, the local panchang and your family's own practice remain the surest guide.

Where and How the Community Celebrates

Vijayadashami is observed across India, and Aurangabad is no exception. The day marks the victory of good, and the deity honoured is Rama, with Durga also worshipped — the two strands of the festival meeting in the same observance.

In general terms, households and neighbourhoods mark the day with prayer, the reading or recital of the Ramayana, and the closing of the Navaratri period that precedes it. Many observe it as a day for beginning something new, since the tenth tithi is associated with completion and victory. Customs differ by region and by family, so the form the day takes in any one home will follow its own tradition.

Practical Tips

• Check a panchang computed for Aurangabad's sunrise rather than a general national listing.
• Note that the tithi may begin or end during the day; the sunrise tithi is what usually fixes the observance.
• If your family follows a particular sampradaya, follow its reckoning alongside the local panchang.
• For questions about your own chart and how you personally observe the day, consult a qualified jyotishi.