Dussehra and Bathukamma 2026 in the USA: Dates, Vijay Muhurat by City and How to Celebrate
Bathukamma 2026 runs from Engili Pula on 10 October to Saddula Bathukamma on Sunday 18 October, and Dussehra falls on Tuesday 20 October in the USA. Here are the nine days, local Vijay Muhurat for 24 US cities and how Telugu communities celebrate.
Bathukamma 2026 runs from Engili Pula on 10 October to Saddula Bathukamma on Sunday 18 October, and Dussehra falls on Tuesday 20 October in the USA. Here are the nine days, local Vijay Muhurat for 24 US cities and how Telugu communities celebrate.
Quick answer: On the Telangana calendar, Bathukamma 2026 runs from Saturday 10 October to Sunday 18 October, starting with Engili Pula Bathukamma on Mahalaya Amavasya and ending with Saddula Bathukamma on Sunday 18 October. In the USA, Dussehra (Vijayadashami) is on Tuesday 20 October 2026 in every time zone, with Navratri beginning on Sunday 11 October and Durga Ashtami on Sunday 18 October. The Vijay Muhurat is a local afternoon window: 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. Most Telugu associations have not yet announced their 2026 Bathukamma dates.
This guide brings together Bathukamma and Dussehra for Telugu and Telangana families across the USA. For Dussehra timings in every state, see our Dussehra 2026 USA state-by-state guide; for the festival as a whole, the Dussehra / Vijayadashami 2026 guide.
Bathukamma and Dussehra 2026 dates in the USA
| Observance | Date | Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Engili Pula Bathukamma (Mahalaya Amavasya) | Sat 10 Oct | Telangana calendar |
| Navratri begins | Sun 11 Oct | Drik Panchang, USA |
| Saddula Bathukamma | Sun 18 Oct | Telangana calendar |
| Durga Ashtami | Sun 18 Oct | Drik Panchang, USA |
| Maha Navami | Mon 19 Oct | Drik Panchang, USA |
| Dussehra / Vijayadashami | Tue 20 Oct | Drik Panchang, USA |
| Diwali | Sun 8 Nov | Drik Panchang, USA |
One wrinkle on day one: panchangs calculated for US locations place Sarva Pitru (Mahalaya) Amavasya on Friday 9 October, because the tithi falls a day earlier on the American clock. Most US Telugu families and associations follow the Telangana calendar and begin Bathukamma on Saturday 10 October, but some households start on the evening of the 9th. Either is in keeping with tradition; follow your family or association.
Happily, the end of the festival lines up: Saddula Bathukamma on the Telangana calendar and Durga Ashtami on US panchangs are both on Sunday 18 October, a weekend day, which makes it the natural date for big community gatherings this year.
The nine days of Bathukamma
Bathukamma, the state festival of Telangana, is a celebration of Gauri (Gauramma) and of life itself: the name means "come alive, Mother". Women build a conical stack of seasonal flowers in concentric layers on a plate, crown it with a small Gauramma shaped from turmeric, and gather each evening to place their Bathukammas in a circle, clap and sing Bathukamma songs before immersing the flowers in water. Each day has its own name and offering.
| Day | Date (Telangana calendar) | Name | Traditional naivedyam |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat 10 Oct | Engili Pula Bathukamma | Sesame or rice flour with jaggery; falls on Mahalaya Amavasya |
| 2 | Sun 11 Oct | Atukula Bathukamma | Flattened rice (atukulu) with jaggery |
| 3 | Mon 12 Oct | Muddapappu Bathukamma | Soft-cooked lentils with milk and jaggery |
| 4 | Tue 13 Oct | Nanabiyyam Bathukamma | Soaked rice with milk and jaggery |
| 5 | Wed 14 Oct | Atla Bathukamma | Atlu (dosa-style pancakes) |
| 6 | Thu 15 Oct | Aligina Bathukamma | No offering: a rest day, when Gauramma is said to be sulking |
| 7 | Fri 16 Oct | Vepakayala Bathukamma | Rice-flour fritters shaped like neem fruits |
| 8 | Sat 17 Oct | Vennamuddala Bathukamma | Butter or ghee, sesame and jaggery |
| 9 | Sun 18 Oct | Saddula Bathukamma | Five kinds of flavoured rice (saddulu), such as lemon, tamarind, curd, coconut and sesame |
On Saddula Bathukamma, the last and grandest day, families make the largest Bathukamma of the season, dress in new clothes and share the five rices with neighbours after the immersion. Mahalaya Amavasya, the day Bathukamma begins, is also the day for ancestral offerings: see our Mahalaya Amavasya 2026 guide.
How US Telugu communities celebrate
In the USA, Bathukamma is usually celebrated in two layers: small gatherings at home or in a neighbourhood through the week, and one large community celebration, almost always on a weekend.
- Flowers: tangedu (Senna) and gunugu (celosia) are rarely available, so US families rely on chrysanthemums, marigolds, celosia, carnations and roses from supermarkets, farmers' markets and Indian grocery stores. Buy a day or two early: flower stock runs low before the big weekend.
- Building the stack: a wide plate or tambalam, flowers cut short and packed in rings, with pumpkin or squash leaves at the base where available.
- Community events: associations book school gyms, community halls, temple grounds or parks, with Bathukamma songs, dandiya or kolatam, cultural programmes and dinner, often combined with Dasara celebrations.
- Immersion: many US venues do not permit flowers in natural lakes or ponds. Organisers often provide a tub or a designated water feature and collect the flowers afterwards. Follow the organiser's instructions.
- Weekday evenings: the nine days fall across a working week, so many families keep a small daily Bathukamma at home and save the full celebration for Saturday 17 or Sunday 18 October.
Telugu associations and 2026 status
Large Telangana and Telugu associations in the USA traditionally organise the biggest Bathukamma celebrations. TTA, TPAD, DATA, GATeS and TAGC usually host Bathukamma, but as of 4 October their 2026 dates are not yet announced. TTA typically runs celebrations in several cities; TPAD and DATA are Dallas-area organisations; GATeS is in Atlanta; and TAGC is in Chicago. Smaller city associations, including in Charlotte, also hold celebrations. Check each organisation's official website or social channels, and ask at your local temple, which often hosts or publicises the event.
Dussehra 2026 Vijay Muhurat in US cities
The Vijay Muhurat (the 11th of 15 daytime muhurtas) is calculated from your own sunrise and sunset, so every city has its own afternoon window. The table lists 24 cities with large Telugu communities; all times are local time on Tuesday 20 October 2026. Timings were computed with a sunrise-to-sunset method and match Drik Panchang within about a minute. For all 50 states and DC, see the state-by-state guide.
| State | City | Vijay Muhurat, Tue 20 Oct (local time) |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | Edison | 2:31–3:15 PM |
| New Jersey | Jersey City | 2:30–3:14 PM |
| New York | New York City | 2:29–3:13 PM |
| Connecticut | Hartford | 2:24–3:07 PM |
| Massachusetts | Boston | 2:17–3:00 PM |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | 2:34–3:18 PM |
| Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh | 2:53–3:37 PM |
| District of Columbia | Washington | 2:42–3:26 PM |
| Virginia | Ashburn | 2:44–3:28 PM |
| North Carolina | Charlotte | 2:59–3:43 PM |
| North Carolina | Raleigh | 2:50–3:34 PM |
| Georgia | Atlanta | 3:14–3:58 PM |
| Florida | Tampa | 3:08–3:53 PM |
| Ohio | Columbus | 3:06–3:50 PM |
| Michigan | Detroit | 3:05–3:48 PM |
| Illinois | Chicago | 2:23–3:07 PM |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis | 2:45–3:28 PM |
| Texas | Dallas | 3:04–3:48 PM |
| Texas | Houston | 2:59–3:44 PM |
| Texas | Austin | 3:08–3:53 PM |
| Arizona | Phoenix | 2:04–2:49 PM |
| California | San Jose | 2:42–3:26 PM |
| California | Los Angeles | 2:29–3:14 PM |
| Washington | Seattle | 2:39–3:22 PM |
Important: do not use India's Vijay Muhurat (1:59–2:45 PM IST) converted to US time. That conversion lands in the small hours of the morning in the USA and is never the right window here. Use the local afternoon window above, or your temple's announced time. All US windows on 20 October fall well inside Dashami.
Confirmed Dussehra events in the USA, October 2026
These events have been verified against organiser sites or reputable listings. Entries marked † are listed by third-party sites; confirm with the organiser before you travel.
| Date | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 10 Oct | Dushahra festival, Ram Leela and Ravan Dahan | Lake Papaianni Park, Edison, NJ |
| Sat 17 Oct | Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka † | Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton, CA |
| Sat 17 – Sun 18 Oct | NJ Durga Pujas (Trinayani, UTSOV) | New Jersey |
| Tue 20 Oct | Dussehra, Shri Ramachandra Vijayotsava | ISKCON of Houston |
| Tue 20 Oct | Vijayadashami with Ravan Dahan † | Shree Radhey Shyam Temple, Chicago area |
For everything else, including Bathukamma celebrations, check your local temple or association. Well-known temples such as BAPS Robbinsville and Sri Venkateswara Temple Pittsburgh hold Navratri and Vijayadashami programmes each year; check their announcements for 2026 timings.
Region by region: where to look
- New Jersey and New York: a large Telugu population, the confirmed Edison Ravan Dahan on 10 October and NJ Durga Pujas on 17–18 October. Bathukamma events are usually announced by city and regional associations.
- Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland: the Ashburn and Northern Virginia area has one of the biggest Telugu communities in the country; look to regional associations and temples.
- Texas: Dallas–Fort Worth (TPAD and DATA), Houston (with the confirmed ISKCON Vijayotsava on 20 October) and Austin.
- Georgia and the Carolinas: GATeS in Atlanta; Charlotte and Raleigh associations.
- Illinois and the Midwest: TAGC in Chicago; Detroit, Columbus and Minneapolis associations and temples.
- California and the West: the Bay Area (the † Pleasanton event on 17 October), Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle.
Planning tips for 2026
- Order or buy flowers early for the weekend of 17–18 October.
- Saddula Bathukamma and Durga Ashtami fall on the same Sunday, 18 October: expect temples to be busy.
- Dussehra is a Tuesday; plan the Shami puja or Vijayadashami prayers around your local afternoon window or the evening.
- Diwali follows on Sunday 8 November 2026: see Diwali 2026 USA celebrations.
Frequently asked questions
When is Saddula Bathukamma 2026 in the USA?
Sunday 18 October 2026, following the Telangana calendar. In the USA this coincides with Durga Ashtami, which Drik Panchang also lists on 18 October for US locations, so the two calendars agree this year.
When is Dussehra 2026 in the USA?
Tuesday 20 October 2026 across all US time zones. Many temples and associations also hold Ravan Dahan or Dussehra programmes on the weekends before or after.
What is the Vijay Muhurat for Dussehra 2026 in the USA?
It is a local afternoon window on 20 October: 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. Do not convert India's window (1:59–2:45 PM IST) to US time; the result falls in the early morning and is not the right window in the USA.
Which US Telugu associations hold Bathukamma?
Telangana and Telugu associations such as TTA, TPAD, DATA, GATeS and TAGC usually host Bathukamma celebrations, but their 2026 dates and venues are not yet announced. Check their official channels or your local temple.
Can I immerse my Bathukamma in a lake in the USA?
Only where the venue and local rules allow it. Many US celebrations use a tub, fountain or pond provided by the organiser, or collect the flowers for composting afterwards. Follow the organiser's instructions.
Editor's note
Editor's note (4 October 2026): Bathukamma dates follow the Telangana calendar and Dussehra dates follow Drik Panchang for the USA; Vijay Muhurat timings are calculated for each listed city. TTA, TPAD, DATA, GATeS and TAGC have not yet published 2026 Bathukamma dates; organisers are still publishing 2026 flyers; we will update this guide.
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