Celebration of Dussehra (Vijaya Dasami) with Shri Ramachandra Vijayotsava at ISKCON of Houston, commemorating Lord Ramachandra's victory over Ravana.
ISKCON of Houston is celebrating Dussehra on Tuesday, October 20, with a day-long program called Shri Ramachandra Vijayotsava. The name itself gives you the gist: vijaya means victory, and otsava means festival, so it's a celebration of Lord Ramachandra's victory.
If you're not familiar with the story, Dussehra—also known as Rama-vijaya-dasami—commemorates the moment Lord Ramachandra defeated the demon-king Ravana. The backstory is a classic: Ravana kidnapped Sita and took her to Lanka, so Rama and his brother Lakshmana, aided by an army of monkey warriors, crossed to the southern tip of India to bring her back. After the battle, Sita emerged pure from a trial by fire. When Rama finally returned home to Ayodhya, the residents welcomed him by placing lamps on their rooftops and balconies, and he was installed on the throne. The temple describes the day as a time when devotees also seek to welcome Lord Ramachandra into their own hearts.
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It's a good one to have on the calendar because it kicks off a longer stretch of celebrations. Dussehra falls right at the start of the month of Kartik, also known as Damodar, which runs from October 25 to November 24. Throughout that month, the temple holds daily Damodar prayers and aarti at 7 AM and 7 PM, so if you're in the neighborhood, you can keep coming back for more. The Dussehra celebration itself is an all-day event on October 20 at ISKCON of Houston.
