Festival · Darjeeling
Dashain in the Darjeeling hills
Dashain is the biggest festival of the Nepali-speaking hills, held over about fifteen days in September or October, at the same time as Durga Puja in the plains. Families gather, elders put red tika and green jamara on the young, and hill towns fill with visitors from Bengal.
Dashain celebrates the victory of the goddess Durga over evil, and in the Darjeeling hills it is the year's main homecoming. It begins on Ghatasthapana, when barley or maize seeds are planted in a dark corner of the house to grow into jamara, the pale yellow-green shoots used at the end of the festival. The most important day is Vijaya Dashami (Dashain tika), when elders place a mix of red vermilion, rice and curd on the foreheads of younger relatives and tuck jamara behind their ears with a blessing.
In Darjeeling town, Chowk Bazaar and the Mall are crowded, shops are busy, and many offices and schools close for the holidays. In the villages around Takdah, Tinchuley and Bijanbari, families travel home and bamboo swings (ping) have traditionally been raised for children. Kite flying was once a strong Dashain custom in the hills, and you still see it. Markets sell new clothes, goats and sweets in the days before tika, and families cook meat dishes and sel roti for the visitors who come to receive blessings. Many homes in the hills keep the jamara corner dark and watered for the full ten days.
For travellers, Dashain overlaps with the Bengali Puja holidays, the busiest weeks of the autumn season. Prices for rooms and reserved cars rise, and shared jeeps from Siliguri fill early. The weather is usually turning clear after the monsoon. Dates follow the lunar calendar, so check current status before you travel. Homestays in the villages often welcome guests to watch the tika ceremony if you ask politely.
Tips
- Book rooms and toy train seats early: Dashain and Durga Puja bring peak crowds from Bengal.
- If a homestay family invites you to tika day, dress neatly and accept the blessing with both hands open.
- Allow extra time for jeeps on the main Dashain days, when drivers are also going home.
Most hill festivals follow lunar calendars, so dates move each year. Check current status before you travel.
Questions people ask
Good to know
When is Dashain celebrated in Darjeeling?
In September or October, following the lunar calendar. Dashain lasts about fifteen days, from Ghatasthapana to Kojagrata Purnima, with Vijaya Dashami (tika day) the main day. It falls at the same time as Durga Puja in Kolkata, so the hills are busy with visitors. Check the year's dates before you travel.
Is Dashain a good time to visit Darjeeling?
It is lively and the weather is usually clearing after the monsoon, but it is also peak season. Rooms, reserved cars and toy train seats sell out and prices rise. If you come, book early and stay a little outside town, in Ghoom, Lamahatta or Takdah, where homestays are calmer.
What is jamara?
Jamara are barley or maize shoots grown in the dark for about ten days from the first day of Dashain, so they come up pale yellow-green. On tika day elders tuck them behind the ears or in the hair of younger relatives with the red tika. They stand for health and a good harvest.
Are shops and transport open during Dashain?
Mostly yes, but with gaps. Many offices and schools close, some small shops shut on tika day, and fewer shared jeeps run on the main days as drivers go home. Tourist businesses in Darjeeling usually stay open. Plan travel days away from tika day and check current status before you travel.