According to the Hindu calendar, Dussehra (Vijayadashami) is celebrated in which month?

Dussehra, also called Vijayadashami, is celebrated on the tenth day (Dashami) of the bright half of the month of Ashvin, which usually falls in September or October. It comes at the end of the nine-day festival of Navratri.

Dussehra celebrates the victory of good over evil, and two main legends are linked with it. In North India, it celebrates the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana, the ten-headed demon king of Lanka, who had kidnapped Sita. The name Dussehra comes from "dasha" (ten) and "hara" (defeat), referring to the defeat of the ten-headed Ravana. In many places, the Ramlila, a dramatic performance of the story of the Ramayana, is staged during the nine nights of Navratri, and on Dussehra, huge effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and his son Meghnad are filled with fireworks and burnt in public. UNESCO inscribed the Ramlila on its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. In eastern India and other regions, Vijayadashami celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, and the Durga Puja ends with the immersion of the idols of the goddess.

Dussehra is celebrated in different ways across India. The Mysuru Dasara in Karnataka is famous for its royal procession (Jamboo Savari). The Kullu Dussehra in Himachal Pradesh begins on Vijayadashami and continues for a week, with the gathering of local deities around Lord Raghunath. The Bastar Dussehra in Chhattisgarh lasts for about 75 days and honours Goddess Danteshwari. In South India, Vijayadashami is an auspicious day to begin learning, and young children are initiated into learning (Vidyarambham). People also worship their tools, vehicles and books (Ayudha Puja).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Kartika is the month of Diwali.
• ✗Chaitra is the month of Chaitra Navratri and Ram Navami, but not of Dussehra.
• ✗Magha is the month of Vasant Panchami.