Context: Fentanyl was commonly used previously but due to its short duration of analgesia and more requirements of analgesics, efficacy of dexmedetomidine was evaluated by some studies and found to be effective. Aim: To compare the efficacy between dexmedetomidine and fentanyl when used for patients undergoing lower abdominal surgeries Settings and design: Present study was hospital based comparative study carried out at Department of Anesthesiology, Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences. Methods: 60 consecutive eligible patients undergoing surgeries for lower abdomen were divided into two groups of 30 each. First group received dexmedetomidine 5 mcg and the other group received fentanyl 25 mcg. They were compared for the time taken for sensory regression and requirement of analgesics Statistical analysis: Student’s t test was used for mean values and chi square test for proportions. Results: Both the groups were comparable to each other in terms of baseline characteristics, types of surgeries performed. Mean duration of surgery was significantly more in the dexmedetomidine group than fentanyl group. The height of sensory level was significantly different between the two groups. Both the drugs took equal time of three minutes from injection to reach the highest sensory level. But the time required for sensory regression to S1 from highest sensory level was significantly higher for dexmedetomidine group patients compared to fentanyl group patients. The requirement of analgesics was significantly higher for fentanyl group compared to the dexmedetomidine group. Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine was found to be more effective than fentanyl in terms of long lasting anesthesia, and lesser requirement of analgesics.