Vijayadashami is the day of Vidyarambham in Kerala, the beginning of learning. Children of two or three are brought to a temple, a writer or a teacher. Seated on the elder's lap, the child has the mantra written on the tongue with a gold ring, and is then guided to trace it with a finger in a tray of raw rice. The same morning the books put away on Ashtami are taken back, in Pooja Eduppu.
The story
The words written are "Hari Sri Ganapataye Namah", a salutation to Vishnu, to Lakshmi and to Ganapathi. After them come the letters of the Malayalam alphabet.
In a state proud of its literacy the ceremony has spread well beyond temples. Churches and mosques hold their own, newspapers organise mass initiations, and writers and teachers of every faith are asked to give the first letters.
ഹരിഃ ശ്രീ ഗണപതയേ നമഃ
Hari, Sri: salutations to Ganapathi
The first words a child writes
How the morning goes
- Pooja EduppuAfter the morning puja the books and tools are taken back from the goddess.
- EzhuthiniruthuThe child writes on the tongue's behalf in gold, then with the finger in rice, then on sand.
- Reading a lineEveryone, of any age, reads or writes something from the books just returned.
- New beginningsMusic, dance and kalari students start with new teachers.
Why this date
In Kerala Vijayadashami is the Dashami of the bright fortnight of Ashvina on the day it is present at sunrise, since Vidyarambham is a morning rite.
Vijayadashami and Vidyarambham in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Thursday | |
| 2026 | Wednesday | |
| 2027 | Sunday | |
| 2028 | Thursday | |
| 2029 | Tuesday | |
| 2030 | Sunday |
More Kerala festivals
20 OctoberMahanavamiമഹാനവമി
19 OctoberDurgashtamiദുർഗ്ഗാഷ്ടമി
8 NovemberDeepavaliദീപാവലി
20 DecemberSwargavathil Ekadasiസ്വർഗ്ഗവാതിൽ ഏകാദശി
14 SeptemberVinayaka Chathurthiവിനായക ചതുർത്ഥി
15 January 2027Makaravilakkuമകരവിളക്ക്
Where to see Vijayadashami and Vidyarambham
In Kerala
- Thunchan Parambu, TirurKeralaThe birthplace of Ezhuthachan, father of the language; thousands of children are initiated here by writers.
- Panachikkadu Saraswati TempleKeralaThe chief Saraswati shrine of the state.
- Padmanabhaswamy Temple, ThiruvananthapuramKeralaThe Travancore royal Saraswati is worshipped beside it, and returns to Padmanabhapuram after the festival.
Across India
- KollurKarnatakaThe Mookambika temple; many Malayali families make the journey for the first letters.
- MysuruKarnatakaThe elephant procession of Dasara.
- KulluHimachal PradeshThe valley's week of Dussehra begins.