Dussehra 2026 in The Hague: Events, Puja & Where to Celebrate
TL;DR 🌿
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami 2026 falls on October 20 in The Hague, culminating nine nights of Navratri celebrations
- The Hague has six active Hindu temples and religious organizations serving one of the Netherlands' most significant Indian diaspora communities
- Shri Sanatan Dharm Sabha Nederland and Shri Sanatan Dharm Sakha Sabha Den Haag anchor the Sanatan Dharma tradition for the community
- Gaslaan hosts Stichting Shri Sai Mandir and Dev Mandir on neighboring addresses — two distinct spiritual communities within walking distance of each other
- The Hague's Desi Dussehra celebration carries a depth of history that sets it apart from most diaspora communities worldwide
A Diaspora With Roots in Three Continents
The Hague's Hindu community has an origin story unlike almost anywhere else in the Indian diaspora. The majority of the community traces its roots through Suriname: descendants of Indian indentured laborers brought to Dutch Suriname between 1873 and 1916 to work on sugar and banana plantations after the abolition of slavery. After Suriname's independence in 1975, many of these Hindostanen families migrated to the Netherlands, settling primarily in The Hague and surrounding municipalities.
This means the community's connection to Hindu practice has been maintained across a chain of migrations spanning three continents and 150 years: from India to Suriname, from Suriname to the Netherlands, and through all of it, the preservation of Sanatan Dharma, bhajan traditions, puja practices, and the full Hindu festival calendar. When Dussehra arrives in October 2026, the celebration draws on this layered history in a way that few diaspora communities anywhere in the world can match.
Alongside the Hindostani community, The Hague also has South Asian immigrants from India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, creating a broad and pluralistic Hindu congregation across the city's temples and organizations.
The Temples of The Hague: All Six
The Hague is exceptionally well-served by Hindu religious institutions for a city of its size. Six active temples and organizations serve the community, each with its own character, congregation, and tradition.
Stichting Shri Sai Mandir at 72 Gaslaan is dedicated to Sai Baba of Shirdi, the 19th-century saint whose teachings bridge Hindu and Sufi traditions. The Sai Mandir community is known for its weekly bhajan programs and its inclusive approach to devotion — Sai Baba's message of universal love draws practitioners from across sectarian lines.
Dev Mandir sits at 74 Gaslaan, just two addresses from Stichting Shri Sai Mandir on the same street. This pairing creates a genuine cluster of Hindu spiritual life in one corner of The Hague — two temples within easy walking distance, each with its own tradition and congregation. During festival seasons, the Gaslaan stretch becomes a gathering point for the broader community.
Shri Guru Ravidass Temple at 105 Delftselaan serves the Ravidassia community, honoring the 15th-century saint and poet Ravidas whose teachings of devotion and equality sustained communities through generations of caste discrimination and colonial displacement. The temple is a significant hub for those within the Ravidassia tradition and participates in the wider calendar of Hindu observances.
Shri Sanatan Dharm Sakha Sabha Den Haag at 156 Regentesseplaan is one of the primary Sanatan Dharma organizations in The Hague, with regular puja programs, religious observances, and a role in organizing community events for major festivals. The Sanatan Dharm Sabha organizations are the primary keepers of the classical Hindu religious calendar in the Hindostani community, and they are central to how Dussehra is observed.
Shri Sanatan Dharm Sabha Nederland at 183 Mijtensstraat, with its presence at shrirammandir.nl, is the other cornerstone of the Sanatan Dharma tradition in The Hague. Together, the two Sanatan Dharm organizations carry the longest institutional continuity in the community and are likely to anchor the Dussehra programming for 2026.
Sewa Dhaam, active at sewadhaam.eu, rounds out the landscape with its own programs and service activities — the name itself (dhaam means abode, sewa means service) signals the organization's orientation toward community care and spiritual practice combined.
The October Calendar: Navratri Through Dussehra
The festival season builds through October:
Navratri (October 11–18): Nine nights honoring the Goddess in her multiple forms. Temples across the city hold special evening pujas, and the Sanatan Dharm organizations maintain consistent programming through the week. Bhajans, aartis, and cultural performances mark each night differently.
Durga Ashtami (October 18): The eighth night of Navratri holds particular significance. Special ashtami pujas at multiple temples mark the peak of Navratri observance, and for the portion of the community that approaches Dussehra through the Durga Puja tradition, this is the emotional center of the season.
Dussehra / Vijayadashami (October 20, 2026): The day brings community together across the city's temples. From Stichting Shri Sai Mandir and Dev Mandir on Gaslaan to the Sanatan Dharm organizations on Regentesseplaan and Mijtensstraat, the day is marked with pujas, prayers, and the shared recognition of Vijayadashami's meaning. In the Hindostani tradition, Dussehra has been observed continuously across 150 years and three continents of migration. That continuity is present in every year's celebration.
The Season Before Dussehra
The autumn gathering does not begin in October. Raksha Bandhan on August 27, Krishna Janmashtami on September 4, and Ganesh Chaturthi on September 14 all draw community members to The Hague's temples for programs and celebrations. By the time Navratri begins, the community has already spent months gathering together, and Dussehra arrives with the full warmth of a season shared.
The temples on Gaslaan — Stichting Shri Sai Mandir and Dev Mandir — along with Shri Guru Ravidass Temple and the Sanatan Dharm organizations, each hold programs for the major pre-Dussehra festivals, maintaining the rhythm of communal religious life that sustains the community through the autumn.
Insider Tip
The Gaslaan cluster — Stichting Shri Sai Mandir at number 72 and Dev Mandir at number 74 — is worth knowing about if you're not already in the community's network. Two temples on the same short street means two different programs on many festival days. Arriving for one and staying for the other is entirely normal, and the welcome from both communities reflects the cooperative spirit that allows six Hindu institutions to thrive in one city.
FAQ
Q: When is Dussehra 2026 in The Hague? A: Dussehra / Vijayadashami 2026 falls on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
Q: How many Hindu temples are there in The Hague? A: The Hague has at least six active Hindu temples and religious organizations: Stichting Shri Sai Mandir, Dev Mandir, Shri Guru Ravidass Temple, Shri Sanatan Dharm Sakha Sabha Den Haag, Shri Sanatan Dharm Sabha Nederland, and Sewa Dhaam.
Q: What makes The Hague's Hindu community historically distinctive? A: A significant portion of The Hague's Hindu community descends from Surinamese Hindostanen — people whose ancestors were brought from India to Dutch Suriname as indentured laborers in the 19th century. This community has maintained Hindu traditions across 150 years and three continents of migration.
Q: Where do the Sanatan Dharma communities in The Hague gather for Dussehra? A: Both Shri Sanatan Dharm Sakha Sabha Den Haag and Shri Sanatan Dharm Sabha Nederland are the primary Sanatan Dharma organizations in The Hague and are central to Dussehra observances.
Q: When does Navratri 2026 start in The Hague? A: Navratri 2026 begins on October 11 and concludes with Dussehra / Vijayadashami on October 20.
Bottom Line 🕯️
Dussehra in The Hague carries a weight of history that gives the celebration its particular meaning. The city's temples — Stichting Shri Sai Mandir and Dev Mandir on Gaslaan, Shri Guru Ravidass Temple on Delftselaan, Shri Sanatan Dharm Sakha Sabha Den Haag, Shri Sanatan Dharm Sabha Nederland, and Sewa Dhaam — represent a community that has kept its traditions alive through generations of migration. On October 20, 2026, that continuity becomes visible again.