Dussehra 2026 in Collierville: Events, Puja & Where to Celebrate

TL;DR 🎆

• 🏹 Dussehra 2026 (Vijayadashami) falls on October 20 — marking Rama's victory over Ravana and the close of Navratri
• 🛕 Two major South Asian faith institutions serve Collierville and Memphis: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Memphis and India Cultural Center and Temple
• 🍽️ Nawab's on Houston Levee Road brings biryani, South Indian dishes, and an attached Indian grocery to the Collierville table
• 🗓️ The nine nights of Navratri (Oct 11–Oct 19) lead directly into Dussehra, then on to Karva Chauth (Oct 29) and Diwali (Nov 8)
• 📍 Check Desi.Net's Collierville page for verified local listings and confirm event times directly with the temples

What Dussehra Means

Dussehra — called Vijayadashami in Sanskrit — falls on the tenth day of the Navratri festival cycle, and it carries two interwoven stories. In the Ramayana tradition, it marks the day that Rama defeated Ravana, the ten-headed demon king who had abducted Sita. In the Shakta tradition, it marks the day Durga destroyed Mahishasura, the buffalo demon, after nine days of battle. Both stories carry the same essential message: virtue and righteousness ultimately overcome power held in bad faith.

In North India, Dussehra is dramatic — enormous Ravana effigies are set ablaze in public grounds, Ramlila performances reach their climax, and the scale of the spectacle can feel closer to a public holiday than a religious observance. In the South Asian diaspora of the American South, the form is more contained but the meaning is just as present. Families gather at temples for special puja on the Vijayadashami evening, communities organize cultural programs, and the day carries emotional weight as the beginning of the countdown to Diwali.

For Collierville and the broader Memphis metro, the Navratri-to-Dussehra stretch is the calendar's cultural high point for the South Asian community.

The Two Major Temples Serving the Area

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Memphis is located at 4790 American Way in Memphis, roughly 15 miles from Collierville's town center. BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha) is one of the most organized and widely active branches of the Swaminarayan tradition, and its mandirs are known for their consistency of programming and the depth of their community engagement. The Memphis mandir runs weekly Bal Sabha (boys) and Balika Sabha (girls) youth programs on Sundays, and its events calendar has included Swaminarayan Jayanti, Ram Navami celebrations, and Hindu Hriday Milan (community meet) gatherings. During Navratri, BAPS centers typically organize special evening prayers and kirtan programs on each of the nine nights, culminating in a Dussehra celebration on the tenth. Reach out to BAPS Memphis directly to confirm what is planned for October 2026 — programming details are distributed within the community network.

India Cultural Center and Temple, located at 12005 Highway 64 in Eads, Tennessee, is historically the most significant South Asian faith institution in the Memphis region. The Indian community in Memphis began gathering as early as the 1950s, and ICCT was formally incorporated as a nonprofit religious organization in Tennessee after years of discussion. The temple's campus spans a 47-acre site, and its multi-deity mandate has made it a gathering place not just for Swaminarayan families but for Shaivites, Vaishnavites, and South Asian families from every regional background. In March 2026 it held a public Holi celebration. For Navratri and Dussehra, ICCT is the natural gathering point for the broader Hindu community of Shelby County.

Insider Tip: Navratri garba and dandia nights in the Memphis metro are organized within community networks rather than through public event listings. They happen — enthusiastically — but the invitations travel through WhatsApp groups and temple mailing lists rather than through general event platforms. Signing up for communications from both BAPS Memphis and ICCT before Navratri begins is the most reliable way to get the schedule early enough to plan.

Where to Eat: Collierville's South Asian Dining Scene

Nawab's at 3750 South Houston Levee Road in Collierville is the area's most practical Desi dining option — a casual restaurant attached to an Indian grocery store, known for its biryani, its freshly baked naan, and a South Indian-focused menu that has made it a regular stop for both Hindu and Muslim South Asian families. The grocery side of the operation means you can pick up festival supplies — dried fruits for prasad, spices for ceremonial cooking, or just the basic pantry items — in the same stop as dinner. It is listed as halal. As with any neighborhood restaurant, confirm current hours before your visit, especially around major festival weekends when schedules can shift.

Social Desiii, which opened in Collierville in 2025, has been described as aiming to represent the full breadth of subcontinent cuisine. Its arrival expanded the local Desi dining scene beyond the predominantly North Indian options that had defined it, and it has attracted attention from the South Asian community in the area for offering something different.

The Season That Follows

Dussehra on October 20 is not an endpoint — it is a threshold. Karva Chauth follows on October 29, and Diwali arrives on November 8. The three weeks between Dussehra and Diwali are among the most active in the entire South Asian community calendar, and for Collierville's growing Indian population, they represent a period when community life accelerates visibly.

New families who have recently moved to Collierville from larger South Asian hubs — Houston, Chicago, New Jersey — sometimes find the first autumn festival season to be the moment when they discover how established the local community already is. Two major temples, an Indian restaurant and grocery, and a community that has been building in Shelby County since the 1950s: it is more than it looks from the outside.

FAQ

When is Dussehra 2026? Dussehra 2026 falls on Tuesday, October 20.

Which temples near Collierville celebrate Navratri and Dussehra? BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Memphis (4790 American Way) and India Cultural Center and Temple (12005 Hwy 64, Eads) are the two main South Asian faith institutions serving Collierville and the Memphis metro. Contact both for 2026 festival programming.

Is there a Navratri garba event in Collierville? Yes — the Memphis-area South Asian community organizes Navratri garba and dandia nights, typically through temple mailing lists and community networks. Ask BAPS Memphis or ICCT to get on their distribution list before October 11.

Where can I buy puja supplies and Indian groceries in Collierville? Nawab's includes an Indian grocery section that carries puja items, spices, and pantry staples. Apna Bazar in the Germantown/Memphis area is another option for a wider South Asian grocery selection.

What Desi events follow Dussehra in Collierville? Karva Chauth falls on October 29 and Diwali on November 8 — both draw significant community gatherings. The ICCT and BAPS Memphis typically host Diwali programs as well.

Bottom Line

Collierville's South Asian community has the depth it needs for a full Dussehra season — two established temples with long histories, a restaurant and grocery that anchors daily life, and a diaspora that has been laying down roots here across multiple generations. The festival season from Navratri through Diwali is when that community is most visible and most welcoming to newcomers. Confirm event details with BAPS Memphis and India Cultural Center and Temple, browse the verified listings on Desi.Net's Collierville page, and plan to be here for all of it — not just the tenth day.