On the evening of Vijayadashami, in villages and city colonies across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, families walk together to a jammi tree. They worship it with turmeric, kumkuma and flowers, recite a short verse, and pluck a few of its small leaves. Then comes the part children remember: those leaves are offered to elders and friends as bangaram – gold – with a touch of the feet or an embrace. Nine nights of worship of the Goddess end not in a temple but under a thorny desert tree. This article is about that tree, the stories behind it, and how the Telugu lands celebrate the day of victory.
Vijayadashami takes its name from vijaya, victory, and dashami, the tenth day: it falls on Ashwayuja Shukla Dashami, the day after the nine nights of Navaratri. Three great victories are remembered on it, and different regions give different weight to each.
At the end of their twelve years in the forest, the Pandavas had to spend a thirteenth year in disguise, unrecognised, in the kingdom of King Virata. The Virata Parva of the Mahabharata tells how, before entering the city, they climbed a large shami tree near a cremation ground outside the town. They wrapped their weapons – among them Arjuna's great bow, the Gandiva – and tied them high in its branches, where no one would dare to look.
When the year of disguise was nearly over, the Kauravas raided Virata's cattle. Prince Uttara set out to fight them with Arjuna, disguised as Brihannala, as his charioteer. At the shami tree, Arjuna took down the hidden weapons, revealed himself, and single-handedly drove back the Kaurava army. Tradition holds that this happened on Vijayadashami, and so the shami became the tree of victory.
Telugu readers know this story especially well. The Andhra Mahabharatam of the Kavitrayam – Nannaya, Tikkana and Errana – is one of the great works of Telugu literature, and Tikkana's portion begins with the Virata Parvam. The episode of the cattle raid, Uttara Gograhanam, has long been retold on the Telugu stage and screen.
The jammi, or shami (Prosopis cineraria), is a hardy tree of dry lands, small-leaved and thorny, that survives where little else grows. Its place in Telugu life is such that Telangana has adopted the Jammi Chettu as its state tree, and the Palapitta (Indian roller) – a bird whose sighting on Dasara is considered auspicious – as its state bird. Both are closely tied to this festival.
The Jammi puja is performed in the evening of Vijayadashami. In many villages and colonies it is a community event at a known jammi tree, often near a temple; families without a tree nearby sometimes worship a jammi branch brought home. Customs vary, but the common pattern is:
Families who installed a kalasham for Navaratri usually conclude it on this day; the steps are in our guide to Navaratri kalasha sthapana at home.
शमी शमयते पापं शमी शत्रुविनाशिनी ।
अर्जुनस्य धनुर्धारी रामस्य प्रियदर्शिनी ॥శమీ శమయతే పాపం శమీ శత్రువినాశినీ ।
అర్జునస్య ధనుర్ధారీ రామస్య ప్రియదర్శినీ ॥śamī śamayate pāpaṁ śamī śatruvināśinī | arjunasya dhanurdhārī rāmasya priyadarśinī ||
"The shami quells sin; the shami destroys enemies. She held Arjuna's bow, and she was dear to the sight of Rama."
— Traditional prayer to the shami tree
Many families continue with further lines praying for a safe and successful journey or undertaking; the exact words differ from home to home.
In Telangana, the exchange of jammi leaves grows into Alai Balai – a gathering of embraces in which old quarrels are set aside and neighbours of every background greet one another. Spotting a Palapitta on Dasara is considered a good omen, and children watch the sky for its flash of blue. These are customs of the people rather than of scripture, and that is exactly their charm.
Vijayadashami is counted among the most auspicious days of the year for beginning something new – learning, work, a business or a journey. Books and tools set aside for Saraswati puja and Ayudha puja are taken up again with reverence. In the great temples the festival reaches its finale: at Vijayawada, the Goddess is taken on the Krishna in the Teppotsavam, and Srisailam celebrates the Shami puja and Teppotsavam.
Vijayadashami falls on Ashwayuja Shukla Dashami, the day after the nine nights of Navaratri. Please take the exact day and timings for worship from your local Telugu panchangam or your temple's announcement. Full festival details are on our Dasara / Devi Navaratri page.
It is fitting that a festival of victory ends with a gift of leaves. The jammi gives no fruit worth selling and little shade, yet it kept the Pandavas' weapons safe through a year of waiting. A handful of its leaves, offered with folded hands, is the Telugu way of saying what the whole festival says: that true wealth is the blessing of elders and the goodwill of neighbours.