Preparations are underway across India to celebrate Dussehra tonight. Cities and towns are adorned with colourful decorations, and effigies of Ravana are being constructed in anticipation of the ceremonial burning, which signifies the triumph of Lord Rama.
Meanwhile, in the national capital, an effigy of Ravan that is 211 feet tall has been installed. It took 40 artisans over four months to build the city’s tallest Ravan effigy which now towers over the southwest Delhi’s Dwarka.
The Rs 30-lakh effigy, constructed by artisans from Barara village of Haryana, will go up in flames on Dussehra on October 12 in an emblematic victory of good over evil.
The effigy was installed on the first day of Navratri, during the ‘Kalasha Sthapana,’ on the DDA Ground in Sector 10, according to Ramlila Committee Chairman Rajesh Gehlot.
“This is the tallest Ravana ever built, standing at 211 feet, decorated with velvet cloth and constructed with iron. It was built over four months by a team of 40 artisans,” Gehlot told PTI.
“This will be our 12th Ravana Dahan, as we could not celebrate Dussehra for two years due to COVID-19,” said Gehlot, who took pride in the fact that no paper was used in making the effigy.
He said that this year the committee has also created a replica of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir “before it was destroyed,” and a stage featuring 3D animations.
Arjun Kumar, president of Lav Kush Ramlila Committee, said it took it nearly two months to put together a 120-foot Ravan effigy.
Effigies of Ravan, Kumbhakarn (younger brother of Ravan, 110 feet), and Meghnad (eldest son of Ravan, 100 feet) have been constructed by 18 artisans from Uttar Pradesh and workers from Delhi-NCR, Kumar said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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