Significance
On this day, Goddess Durga slayed the demon king Mahishasura and Lord Rama defeated King Ravana, both are symbols of good being ultimately victorious over evil. While Dashmi marks the end of Navratri it also witnesses preparation for the festival of lights Diwali, which falls approximately twenty days after Dussehra.
Timings
According to Drikpanchang, this year Dashami Tithi begins at 7:41 am on October 25, and ends at 9:00 am on October 26. For Vijay Dashami in West Bengal, the Aparahna puja time is from 1:13 pm to 3.28 pm on October 26 while the mahurat for the day, in general, is between 1:58 pm and 2.43 pm today.
Celebrations
Navratri literally translates to nine nights. During this period, different forms of the goddess Durga are worshipped. These include Shilaputri, Brahmacharni, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandama, Katyayani, Kalratri, Maha Gauri, and Siddhidatri. This year there was a confluence of Ashtami and Navami as both fell on October 24.
Jyoti Kalash, Kumari Puja, Sandhi Puja, Navami Homa, Lalitha Vrat and Chandi Path are some of the other famous rituals observed during the nine days of Navratri.
On this day, effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakaran are burnt. People portray the life of Lord Rama through ballads and plays. Goddess Durga is immersed in water by the devotees as it signifies the departure of Goddess Durga from the material world after maintaining Dharma.
Meanwhile, the Coronavirus pandemic has changed the festivities as there is a visibly less fervour because of the restrictions that need to be followed. Several temples witnessed lesser devotees and sellers reported a huge drop in people buying materials needed for worship. MHA has issued guidelines seeing the festival period and people are strongly advised to follow them to keep up the spirit of the period.