Vijaya Dashami, the principal day of the Dashain festival, is being observed across Nepal on Wednesday, Kartik 4, with the most auspicious moment (sait) for taking tika and blessings set at 10:26 am, according to the Nepal Panchang Nirnayak Vikas Samiti. The committee, which fixes the dates and timings of the country's major religious occasions, has also designated 8:49 am that morning for Devi Visarjan, the ceremonial immersion of the goddess. With the schedule confirmed, households across the country are preparing to celebrate the day in line with the religious calendar, gathering family members and making their traditional rounds of blessings.
A carefully fixed schedule
According to the timings released by the Nepal Panchang Nirnayak Vikas Samiti, the day's key observances fall in a clear sequence:
- 8:49 am - Devi Visarjan, the immersion of the goddess, is to be performed, formally bringing to a close the worship of the goddess carried out through the festival period.
- 10:26 am - The most auspicious Vijaya Dashami moment, regarded as the ideal time for devotees and families to receive tika, jamara and blessings from their elders.
The announcement of the sait is among the most eagerly awaited pieces of information ahead of Dashami each year. Families typically arrange their gatherings so that elders and juniors can be together at the fixed hour, while temples and ritual specialists also follow the timetable set by the committee when organizing their own ceremonies. Local media, including RatoPati and Nepal Views, reported that 10:26 am is the best time for tika this year, with Devi Visarjan scheduled earlier in the morning.
The committee behind the timings
The Nepal Panchang Nirnayak Vikas Samiti serves as the recognized body for determining the dates and auspicious hours of Nepal's major festivals, basing its decisions on traditional panchang calculations. Its announcements provide a single, uniform reference for households, priests, temple managements and communities around the country, helping to ensure that religious observances are carried out on the same day and at the same prescribed times nationwide.
This year, the Samiti's determination places Vijaya Dashami on Wednesday, Kartik 4, and fixes both key timings for the morning hours. The decision allows families to plan the day with certainty: the goddess is farewelled first through Devi Visarjan at 8:49 am, and the auspicious moment for tika follows shortly after, at 10:26 am.
Tika, jamara and the victory of good over evil
Vijaya Dashami, the tenth day of the Dashain festival, is regarded as the most significant of its observances. On this day, elders apply red tika, traditionally a mixture of rice, curd and vermilion, onto the foreheads of their younger relatives, while jamara, the yellow barley shoots germinated at the start of the festival, are placed on their heads or ears along with blessings for health, happiness and prosperity. The ritual commemorates the victory of good over evil, a theme at the heart of the festival, associated with the triumph of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura.
The exchange of tika and blessings does not end with the sait itself. In many families, the practice continues through the days that follow Dashami, as relatives and friends travel from home to home to receive tika from those senior to them. For families separated by distance, the fixed moment announced by the committee often serves as the point when those gathered at home take tika together, before the wider rounds of visits and celebrations begin.
Celebrations across the country
The festival is being celebrated across the country in line with the religious calendar. Devotees visit temples dedicated to the goddess, households carry out the rituals prescribed for the day, and public spaces take on a festive air as people dress in their finest clothes and move between the homes of relatives. From urban neighborhoods to villages, family reunions and the giving of tika and jamara define the day.
With the timings now fixed, the shape of the day is clear for celebrants nationwide. Devi Visarjan at 8:49 am will mark the ritual farewell to the goddess, and the sait at 10:26 am will open the auspicious window in which people across the country take tika and blessings from their elders. As Nepal observes Vijaya Dashami on Wednesday, Kartik 4, the festival once again brings together families and communities in one of the most widely shared observances of the year.
