In the villages, the festival offers a different picture. The folk entertainers come in a variety of fancy dresses, that of a soldier, Mahishasura, Shiva, a tiger or a Cheetah etc. Some exhibit folk arts like, piercing knives across the cheeks or hanging iron pegs from bare bodies. The school children visit all the houses in the village asking for sweets and money. They carry bows and arrows with a funnel like attachment to pore out colour powder on others as a gesture of celebration. Children are given Dal and Jaggery to eat and enjoy. Even slates and pencils are also distributed as a goodwill gesture on this festival day. Parents make their children to go before their teachers to be blessed by them and the teachers are offered beatel leaves as a mark of respect.
In olden days kings would perform "Ayudha Pooja" and setout for invasion or hunting. The hunted animal would be offered as sacrifice to the local deity. In some parts People organize "Seemo Langhanam" or "Silangan", by conducting wrestling. "Vijaya Dasami is considered as an auspicious day for starting new ventures. This festival is celebrated Country wide with equal fervour and spirit. In Vijayawada, a town in Andhra Pradesh, it is a special occasion for the people to worship Kanaka Durga, the goddess situated on Indra Keeladri Mountain. This goddess is worshipped for all the ten days with ten different names Kanaka Durga, Chamundi, Gayatri Devi, Annapoorna, Sree Lalitha, Thripura Sundari, Bala Thripura sundari, Saraswathi, Durga, Mahishura Mardini and Raja Rajeswari. In parts of Telangana Batukamma Festival is celebrated during this festive period. Batukamma is a deity made with different flowers. Women folk will gather around the deity singing and dancing. They immerse this Batukamma in the river on the last day.
