Dussehra 2026 USA, State by State: Date and Vijay Muhurat for All 50 States and DC

Quick answer: Dussehra (Vijayadashami) 2026 is on Tuesday 20 October in all 50 US states and DC. The Vijay Muhurat is an afternoon window in your own local time: 2:29–3:13 PM in New York City, 2:23–3:07 PM in Chicago, 3:04–3:48 PM in Dallas and 2:42–3:26 PM in San Jose. Find your state in the table below. Do not convert India's muhurat to US time; it lands in the middle of the night and is not valid here.

Dussehra 2026 dates in the USA at a glance

These dates follow Drik Panchang for the USA. They are the same from coast to coast, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Note that Durga Ashtami falls on Sunday 18 October in the USA, one day earlier than in India (Monday 19 October). That is not a mistake: Ashtami begins at 8:27am IST on 18 October, which is still the night of 17–18 October in America, so the tithi is already running at your sunrise on the 18th. For the full nine nights, see our Sharad Navratri to Dussehra 2026 guide, and for the meaning of the day itself, the Dussehra / Vijayadashami 2026 pillar guide.

Vijay Muhurat 2026, state by state

All times are local clock time on Tuesday 20 October 2026. Each window is the Vijay Muhurat, the eleventh of the fifteen daytime muhurtas, calculated from that city's sunrise and sunset using the sunrise-to-sunset method. The values match Drik Panchang to within a minute, and New York City and Jersey City are Drik's own published windows. Larger states show two or three cities so you can pick the closest.

Your city is not listed? Use the nearest listed city in the same time zone. Within a time zone the window shifts by roughly four minutes for every degree of longitude, so a place a couple of hundred miles east or west may be ten minutes earlier or later. If your temple publishes its own Vijay Muhurat for your town, follow the temple.

How the state times compare

A few patterns help when you read the table:

• The western edge of each time zone gets the latest window. Indianapolis, Louisville and Atlanta sit far west in Eastern time, so their windows begin after 3 PM, while Boston and Portland, Maine begin before 2:20 PM.
• The same applies in Central time: Dallas, Austin, Wichita and Oklahoma City run later than Chicago, Nashville or Birmingham.
• Phoenix keeps the same clock time all year, which is why its window (2:04–2:49 PM) looks early compared with Denver (2:34–3:18 PM).
• Anchorage has the shortest day in the table, so its window is a little shorter than elsewhere (3:19–3:58 PM).
• Every window falls on a Tuesday afternoon, which matters for working families. See the practical tips below.

The one caution every NRI family should know

India's Vijay Muhurat on 20 October is 1:59–2:45 PM IST. Converted to US time, that falls before dawn on the East Coast and in the middle of the night further west. It is never the right window in the USA. The muhurat is tied to the sun over your own head, so it has to be recalculated for your own city, which is exactly what the table above does. If a WhatsApp forward or an older web page gives you an early-morning Dussehra time "in Central time", it is India's window converted and should be ignored.

Confirmed Dussehra and Navratri events in the USA, October 2026

These are the only US events we have been able to confirm so far. Entries marked † are listed by third-party sites — confirm with the organiser before you travel.

Telugu associations such as TTA, TPAD, DATA, GATeS and TAGC usually host Bathukamma and Dasara gatherings, but their 2026 dates had not been announced when we last checked. Our Dussehra and Bathukamma 2026 USA guide tracks those as they come in.

Temples and community celebrations

Almost every Hindu temple in the USA marks Vijayadashami, whether with a simple archana and Shami puja on the day or a full weekend programme with Ramlila, garba, cultural shows and an effigy of Ravana. Large, long-established temples such as BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Robbinsville, New Jersey and the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Pittsburgh draw big crowds across the festival season, and smaller neighbourhood temples often have the warmest atmosphere.

• Check your temple's website, newsletter or WhatsApp group in the first week of October; most publish their Navratri and Dussehra schedule then.
• Bengali associations hold Durga Puja over the Ashtami–Dashami weekend. In Kolkata the Puja runs from Maha Shashthi on 17 October to Sindoor Khela on 21 October, and many US committees fit their programme into the weekend of 17–18 October.
• Gujarati samaj groups run garba and dandiya nights through Navratri, usually concentrated on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Telugu and Kannada families often mark the day with Shami (Jammi or Banni) leaf exchange and Ayudha Puja the day before.
• If you plan to attend an outdoor Ravan Dahan, check the organiser's notices for parking, weather and any local permit conditions.

How to observe Dussehra at home

If you cannot get to a temple on a Tuesday, a short home puja inside your local Vijay Muhurat is entirely traditional. A simple sequence:

• Clean the puja space and set up an image of Durga, Rama or your family deity, with a lamp and fresh flowers.
• On Monday 19 October (Maha Navami), place books, laptops, tools, musical instruments or car keys before the deity for Ayudha or Saraswati Puja, and leave them there overnight.
• On Tuesday 20 October, within your city's Vijay Muhurat, offer flowers, kumkum and akshata, and pray to Goddess Aparajita for success in the year ahead.
• Offer Shami leaves if you can find them at an Indian grocery; families exchange them as "gold" with elders and friends. If not, flowers or rice are a perfectly good offering.
• Lift the books and tools from the altar after the puja. Many families choose this day for a child's Vidyarambham, writing the first letters in rice.
• Finish with aarti and prasad, and call elders in India. Remember that India's day will already be ending by the time your muhurat comes round.

Practical tips for NRI families

• Most windows fall between 2 PM and 4 PM, so a long lunch break or an hour's leave is usually enough for a home puja or a quick temple visit.
• Expect the big community events on Saturday 17 and Saturday 24 October rather than on Tuesday itself.
• Check whether your children's school or your employer allows a floating holiday or personal day for religious observance, and request it early if so.
• Buy puja items, flowers and sweets on the weekend before; Indian grocery stores get busy in the last days of Navratri.
• If you follow a family calendar from Karnataka, note that the Mysuru panchanga marks Vijayadashami on Wednesday 21 October in India. In the USA, Drik Panchang gives Tuesday 20 October; follow your temple if it says otherwise.

For background on the season, including Mahalaya and the nine nights, see the October 2026 Hindu festival calendar and our Mahalaya Amavasya 2026 guide. If you have family in Karnataka, the Mysore Dasara 2026 day-by-day guide explains why the Jamboo Savari procession falls on 21 October.

Looking ahead: Sharad Purnima, Karwa Chauth and Diwali

Dussehra opens a busy month. Sharad Purnima follows on Sunday 25 October (see our Sharad Purnima 2026 guide), then Karwa Chauth on Wednesday 28 October in the USA (Karwa Chauth 2026 moonrise times). Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, so many families start Diwali shopping and travel plans straight after Dussehra. Our Diwali 2026 USA guide covers US events and Lakshmi Puja timings.

Frequently asked questions

When is Dussehra 2026 in the USA?

Vijayadashami (Dussehra) is on Tuesday 20 October 2026 in every US state, Alaska and Hawaii included. Navratri begins on Sunday 11 October, Durga Ashtami falls on Sunday 18 October and Maha Navami on Monday 19 October (Drik Panchang, USA).

What is the Vijay Muhurat for Dussehra 2026 in the USA?

It depends on where you live, because the window is worked out from your local sunrise and sunset. For example, it is 2:29–3:13 PM in New York City, 2:23–3:07 PM in Chicago, 3:04–3:48 PM in Dallas and 2:42–3:26 PM in San Jose, all local time on Tuesday 20 October. The table in this guide lists a reference city for every state and DC.

Can I convert India's Vijay Muhurat to US time?

No. India's window (1:59–2:45 PM IST) converts to the early hours of the morning in the USA, which is not a valid Vijay Muhurat. Always use the afternoon window for your own city.

Why do some US temples celebrate Dussehra on the weekend?

Vijayadashami 2026 falls on a Tuesday, a working and school day. Many temples hold the puja on the day itself and move the community programme, Ramlila or Ravan Dahan to a nearby weekend so families can attend. Check your temple's own schedule.

When is Diwali 2026 in the USA?

Diwali is on Sunday 8 November 2026, nineteen days after Dussehra.

Editor's note (4 October 2026): dates follow Drik Panchang for the USA and every Vijay Muhurat above is a local sunrise-to-sunset calculation checked against Drik. Events are limited to those we could confirm; organisers are still publishing 2026 flyers; we will update this guide.

Related guides

• Dussehra / Vijayadashami 2026: the complete guide
• Dussehra and Bathukamma 2026 in the USA
• Dussehra 2026 Canada, province by province
• Dussehra 2026 UK, region by region
• Dussehra 2026 Australia, city by city
• Dussehra 2026 Malaysia, state by state
• Dussehra 2026 Singapore, area by area
• Dussehra 2026 Europe, country by country
• Diwali 2026 USA celebrations