Rama, Ravan and the day of victory
Every child in Hadoti knows the story by heart, because every child in Hadoti has watched it acted out in a field at night.
The meaning is simple and deeply felt: good wins over evil, truth over pride, and the year can begin again cleanly. That is why so many families start new ventures on Dussehra.
The victory: Dussehra celebrates Rama, prince of Ayodhya, defeating Ravan, the ten-headed king of Lanka, who had carried off Rama's wife Sita.
The war: in the Ramayana, Rama, his brother Lakshman and the monkey army of Hanuman cross the sea to Lanka and fight a long war.
Facts to know
- When
- Ashvin, usually October, occasionally late September
- Where
- The Dussehra fairground, Kota
- Lasts
- About three weeks of fair
- Best day
- Vijayadashami, the tenth day
- Book by
- Three to four months ahead
- Good for
- Photographers, the curious, lovers of fairs
- The fallen: Ravan's giant brother Kumbhkaran, woken from his famous sleep, falls in battle, and so does Ravan's son Meghnad, the warrior who once defeated the king of the gods. At last Rama kills Ravan himself.
- The name: the day of that victory is Vijayadashami, the tenth day of victory.
- After Navratri: it ends the nine nights when the goddess Durga is worshipped for her own victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura.
- The Ramlila: across north India the story is performed for nine nights as a folk drama, with local men and boys playing Rama, Sita, Hanuman and Ravan.
- The tenth evening: effigies of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad, built of bamboo and paper and packed with fireworks, are set alight.
- Weapons and horses: in Rajput households they were traditionally worshipped on this day, a memory of the season when kings set out on campaign after the monsoon.
- Read more: our page on Dussehra across Rajasthan covers other cities. Kota's celebration is on a different scale, with a royal history of its own.
How a court ceremony became a city's fair
Kota's Dussehra began inside the palace, with priests, nobles and a ruler who wanted the gods on his side.
A new Hada state: Kota became separate in the early seventeenth century, when Madho Singh, a younger son of the house of Bundi, was given the town and its lands on the east bank of the Chambal.
The Maharaos: Kota's rulers spent much of the next century fighting in the Mughal campaigns, and returned home rich and confident.
The beginning: the celebrations are said to go back to Maharao Durjan Sal Singh in 1723, with temple rituals, a royal procession and a gathering of nobles at court.
Facts to know
- Kota state
- Early seventeenth century
- First ruler
- Madho Singh, a younger son of Bundi
- Tradition dates
- Said to be 1723
- Joined Rajasthan
- 1948
- Today
- The National Dussehra Fair
- A ceremony of kingship: as much as of faith. The ruler worshipped his weapons, reviewed his men and was seen by his people.
- It grew: later rulers enlarged the procession, with elephants, horses, musicians and nobles in their finery, from the Garh, Kota's fortified palace, to the place where Ravan would burn.
- On paper: court painters recorded processions and festivals like this in detail, and some of their work hangs in the Rao Madho Singh Museum inside the Garh today.
- To the city: after Kota joined the new state of Rajasthan in 1948, the festival passed into the city's hands.
- The modern fair: it grew year by year into what is now called the National Dussehra Fair, organised by the municipal authorities and lasting for weeks.
- Old and new: the palace still gives the festival its sense of history. The size and noise belong to modern Kota, the river city of factories, coaching students and families from across Hadoti.
- Read more: our Kota guide tells the full story of the Hada rulers, the Garh and its paintings.
Local tip
See the Rao Madho Singh Museum inside the Garh before the fair. Its court paintings show the shape of the festival before electricity, loudspeakers and fairground rides.
When Kota Dussehra falls
The festival follows the moon. October is the usual month, but not always.
The date: Dussehra falls on the tenth day of the bright half of Ashvin, after the nine nights of Navratri.
The month: in most years that places it in October, and occasionally in late September.
Facts to know
- Lunar date
- Tenth day, bright half of Ashvin
- Usual month
- October, occasionally late September
- Fair opens
- Around the start of Navratri
- Fair length
- About three weeks
- Diwali
- About three weeks later
- Dates
- We confirm them each year
- The fair: it usually opens around the start of Navratri and runs for about three weeks, so stalls and evening programmes continue for some days after Vijayadashami.
- Why we confirm: the dates move with the lunar calendar and the city sets the fair's programme each year, so we confirm the dates each year before planning around them.
- The season: October starts the travel season in Hadoti. The monsoon has ended, the lakes of Kota and Bundi are full and the hills are still green.
- The weather: warm sunshine, often in the low thirties Celsius, with pleasant evenings. It is one of the best months to see this part of Rajasthan.
- Read more: our guide to Rajasthan in October has the rest of the month's festivals.
Local tip
If you are travelling in October, ask us early. We will tell you whether your dates catch the fair, the burning night or both.
The weeks of the fair
Most visitors come only for the burning. The fair itself is the part we love, and it is where Hadoti does its shopping for the year.
The stalls
Hundreds of them: clothes, shoes, blankets, kitchenware, furniture, toys, bangles and cosmetics.
- Who comes: traders from across India, and village families from Hadoti buying for the wedding season and Diwali.
- What to look for: Kota Doria, the sheer chequered cotton and silk woven at Kaithoon near Kota, and the region's lac bangles.
Food
Kota kachori: the city is famous for this crisp pastry filled with spiced dal, and the fair has stall after stall of it.
- Everything else: jalebi, chaat, roasted corn, kulfi and the city's dry snacks.
- Eat safely: where the queue is longest and the oil is fresh, and bring hand sanitiser.
Rides and swings
- The rides: giant wheels, merry-go-rounds and every kind of fairground ride fill one part of the grounds.
- Weekend evenings: packed with families and students. The noise and colour are wonderful to see, even if you never ride.
The evening programmes
- A great tradition: over the weeks there are evenings of devotional music, folk performers from across Rajasthan, Ramlila performances, gatherings of Hindi poets and evenings of film music.
- The poets: their gatherings are especially loved in Kota, and the audience shouts back its favourite lines.
The workshops of the effigies
- Built on site: in the days before Dussehra, teams of craftsmen build the effigies on the fairground.
- How: bamboo frames, paper, cloth and paint, with the fireworks packed inside.
Local tip
If you are in Kota a few days early, ask us to arrange a visit to the effigy builders. Seeing a demon king's face being painted on the ground is a strange and lovely sight.
Vijayadashami night, hour by hour
The burning lasts minutes. The waiting lasts hours, and the waiting is part of it.
Facts to know
- Morning
- Worship at home, the Garh museum
- Afternoon
- Long lunch and rest
- Late afternoon
- Procession to the fairground
- Sunset
- The crowd arrives
- After dark
- The burning, over in minutes
Morning, the city prepares
A quiet old city: families worship at home and in the temples.
- Weapons worship: in many Rajput homes swords and other weapons are laid out and worshipped.
- For you: a good morning for the Garh Palace and its museum, ideally as soon as it opens.
Afternoon, rest
- Long lunch, then rest: the evening is long, and the roads to the fairground close or clog well before sunset.
Late afternoon, the procession
- The memory of a royal procession: a procession makes its way through the city towards the fairground.
- Where to watch: from a rooftop or a shopfront along the route, the calmest way to see it.
Sunset, the crowd arrives
The crowd: families, students, villagers and visitors fill the fairground.
- The effigies: lit up at one end, enormous and slightly comic.
- Their size: Kota's Ravan is often well over seventy feet tall, with ten painted heads, and his brother and son stand beside him.
After dark, the burning
The arrows: actors playing Rama and Lakshman arrive and loose burning arrows at the effigies.
- The order: Meghnad and Kumbhkaran usually go first, then Ravan, his fireworks bursting from his heads and arms as the fire climbs him.
- Then: it is over in minutes. The crowd cheers, and the whole city turns to go home at once.
Late night, the long way back
- The hardest part: leaving.
- Our plan: leave a little before the very end or wait until the first crush has cleared, with your car at a pre-agreed point well away from the gates.
Safety and good manners in a very large crowd
Kota Dussehra is a joyful, family festival. It is also one of the largest crowds you are ever likely to stand in.
Go with a guide: one who knows the fairground. Agree a meeting point in case you are separated, because phones often fail in big crowds.
Arrive early and stay put: pushing through the crowd near the effigies is unpleasant and unsafe.
- Keep well back: when the effigies burn, burning paper and fireworks can fly much further than you expect.
- Travel light: wear closed shoes, carry very little and keep your bag in front of you. The fair attracts pickpockets.
- Dress modestly and comfortably: women travellers will be more comfortable in loose clothes with a scarf, and should stay close to their group in the densest parts of the crowd.
- Ask before photographing: families, and the actors playing Rama and Lakshman, who are treated with real reverence on the night.
- No drones: the sky over the fairground is full of fireworks, and drones are often restricted at large events.
- Children: they enjoy the fair enormously in the daytime and early evening. For the burning, think carefully about small children, crowds and noise.
Where to stay for Kota Dussehra
Kota has two palace hotels and Bundi has painted havelis forty minutes away. Either way, book early.
Facts to know
- Book rooms
- Three to four months ahead
- Also book early
- Your car and driver
- In Kota
- Umed Bhawan, Brijraj Bhawan
- Quieter base
- Bundi, about forty minutes away
- Why early: the fair fills Kota with visitors from across Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and the city's good rooms are few.
- The car matters: we book your car and driver well ahead, because the drive to and from the fairground needs someone who knows the back roads.
Umed Bhawan Palace, Kota
- What it is: built in the early twentieth century as a residence for the Maharao, a large palace in gardens on the edge of the city, now a heritage hotel.
- Who it suits: guests who want space and grandeur close to the fair.
Brijraj Bhawan Palace, Kota
- What it is: a smaller, more intimate heritage hotel on the bank of the Chambal, with only a few rooms and lawns running down towards the river.
- Its feel: family photographs everywhere, like staying with gracious relatives, and a calm retreat after the fairground.
A haveli in Bundi
- Why Bundi: many guests prefer to sleep there and come to Kota for the fair and the burning night. Its lanes are quieter, and its painted palace is one of the treasures of Rajasthan.
- Where to look: our guide to heritage havelis of Bundi.
Castle Bijaipur
- What it is: Castle Bijaipur, a sixteenth-century castle in the Vindhyan hills on the way to Chittorgarh.
- Why go: a lovely place to recover for a night or two after the festival.
Kota by day, between the fair evenings
The fair happens at night. Kota's days are for the river, the palace and the looms.
The Garh and the Rao Madho Singh Museum
The museum: inside Kota's fortified palace on the east bank of the Chambal, run by a trust of the former royal family, with one of the finest collections of Kota school painting.
- The treasures: the great tiger and boar hunts painted under Maharao Umed Singh, and scenes of processions and festivals painted for later rulers.
- Take a guide: one who knows the paintings makes all the difference.
Kishore Sagar and its island pavilion
- Kota's own Jag Mandir: a red sandstone pavilion on an island in the lake, built in 1740.
- Festival evenings: families walk the shore, and the city's lights reflect in the water.
The Chambal riverfront
- What it is: a long riverfront opened in 2023 between the Kota Barrage and the old Nayapura bridge, with ghats, gardens and a giant statue of Chambal Mata, the river as mother goddess.
- When to go: busy with families in festival week evenings, pleasant in the early morning.
The weavers of Kaithoon
Kota Doria: sheer cotton and silk woven in small square checks called khat, on handlooms in Kaithoon and nearby villages.
- A morning with weavers: watching the shuttle fly and learning how the checks are counted is the best way to buy a sari or stole with real confidence.
- Read more: our journal on Kota Doria weaving explains the craft.
Chhatra Vilas Garden and the cenotaphs
- What it is: near Kishore Sagar, the royal cenotaphs of Kota's rulers at the edge of the garden, their carved domes reflected in the lake.
- When: in the soft light of an October afternoon it is one of the most peaceful places in the city.
Combining Kota Dussehra with Hadoti and beyond
October is the month to travel south-eastern Rajasthan. Kota sits at the centre of it.
Bundi
- The older Hada capital: forty minutes from Kota, with its Chitrashala murals, stepwells and blue lanes.
- Another festival: the Bundi Utsav follows in the month of Kartik, a few weeks later.
Ranthambore
- Tigers: Ranthambore reopens for safaris on 1 October and is about two hours north of Kota.
- The journey: our Palaces and Tigers journey can be bent to include Dussehra.
The Chambal and its gorges
- Garadia Mahadev: about thirty kilometres from Kota, on a cliff above a great loop of the Chambal gorge. After the monsoon the views are at their best.
- Downstream: the river is protected for the gharial.
Jhalawar and Gagron
- Where: Jhalawar, about an hour and a half south.
- The fort: the UNESCO-listed water fort of Gagron, wrapped by two rivers that are full in October.
An offbeat Rajasthan journey
- The route: our offbeat Rajasthan journey travels through Bundi, Chittorgarh and Dungarpur, and Kota Dussehra fits in naturally in the right year.
- More festivals: Navratri and Diwali fall in the same season, so an autumn journey can catch several.
Who will love Kota Dussehra, and who won't
This is a festival for people who love India at full volume. It is honest to say so.
The real thing: you will love it if you want to see one of north India's great public festivals as local families see it, without a tourist programme built around you.
Photographers: extraordinary pictures, from the effigy builders at work to the faces in the crowd as Ravan burns.
Facts to know
- Loves it
- Photographers, the curious, fair-goers
- Think twice
- Noise-averse, step-free, very young children
- Gentler option
- A quiet early evening at the fair
- Alternative
- A day in Bundi
- The curious: anyone curious about how Indian cities celebrate together will remember it for years.
- Fair lovers: if you enjoy food stalls and evenings of music in a language you only half understand, the weeks of the mela are a joy.
- The hard parts: the crowds on Vijayadashami night are vast, the fireworks loud, the fairground dusty, with very little shade or seating.
- Who may prefer another way: guests who need step-free routes, dislike noise or travel with very small children may visit the fair on a quiet early evening and watch a smaller burning elsewhere, or spend the day in Bundi.
- Our promise: we will tell you honestly which way we think you will enjoy it most.
What we tell our own cousins about Dussehra in Kota
A few small things make the night easy.
Kachori: try one hot from the pan, but at a busy stall.
Dussehra morning: visit the Garh and its museum while the city is at home.
- Kota Doria: buy from weavers or shops we trust, not from the cheapest stall at the fair.
- Leave early: for the burning. The roads to the fairground close long before the effigies are lit.
- Earplugs: bring them for children. The fireworks are very loud.
- Stay an extra night: the morning after Dussehra Kota is quiet, happy and tired, and the drive to Bundi or Ranthambore is easy.
Local tip
See the fair on a weekday evening before Dussehra, when it is lively but not packed. You get the stalls, the food and the poets without the burning-night crush.