Dussehra, also known as Dashain in Nepal, Dussehra in Punjab, Golu in Tamil Nadu and Vijayadashami in other parts of South India, is one of the most popular Hindu festivals in South-East Asia.

Derived from the Sanskrit words ‘Dus' and ‘Hara', it literally means ‘defeat of the ten', referring to the defeat of the ten-headed Ravana by Lord Rama. The ten heads of Ravana signify lego, attachment, regret, anger, hatred, fear, jealousy, greed, lust and insensitivity.

Dussehra typically falls in the months of September or October, marking the end of the hot summer and/or monsoon season and ushering in cooler weather.

This year Dussehra is being celebrated on 5 October.

The festival is essentially a celebration of the victory of good over evil and virtue over sin. It is celebrated in almost every part of India but in different ways, with different stories, rituals and festivities attached to it. In north India, huge effigies of Ravana and his brothers Kumbhakaran and Meghnad are burnt while in Bengal, effigies of Goddess Durga are immersed in water at the end of nine days of festivities and prayers.