Dussehra festival, the tenth day after Navratri, celebrated as Vijayadashmi indicates the victory of Lord Ram over the demon king Ravana. Lord Rama symbolizes truth and Ravana represents evil power.
Ravana, who had abducted Sita Devi, did not wish to return Sita back to Lord Ram. With the help of his brother Lakshman and Vanar Sena led by Hanuman, Lord Ram captured Ravana’s kingdom and brought back Sita Devi.
According to the Ramayana, it is mentioned that Lord Ram had performed Chandi Hom to make Goddess Durga happy and get blessings. In this way, Lord Rama got the victory by knowing the secret of Ravana’s killing on the 10th day of the war.
Dussehra festival is also known as Durgotsav because it is considered that on the same day another demon called Mahishasura was killed by Mata Durga. A huge fair of Ramlila takes place in the Ram-Lila ground where people from nearby regions come to see the fair and dramatic representation of the Ramlila.
In many regions, Dussehra is considered an auspicious time to begin educational or artistic pursuits, especially for children.
In Kerala, the books are placed for Puja on the Ashtami day in own houses, traditional nursery schools, or in temples. On Vijaya Dashami day, the books are ceremoniously taken out for reading and writing after worshipping Sarasvati. Vijaya Dashami day is considered auspicious for initiating the children into writing and reading, which is called Vidyarambham.
