National/Alive News: Dussehra is being celebrated across the country with grand effigies of Ravana and spectacular fireworks. Indore will burn a 111-foot-tall Ravana effigy, while Kota and Bhopal will have 105-foot effigies. Raipur and Ujjain will burn 101-foot effigies. In Delhi, a 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy will be burnt alongside Ravana, Kumbhkarna and Meghnad.
At Pitampura in Delhi, the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee has planned the unusual cockroach effigy to highlight the need to eliminate dirt from homes, neighbourhoods and society. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke thanked the organisers for what he described as free publicity. CJP legal head Ratna Singh also reacted to the controversy, calling it a drama.
In Madhya Pradesh, Indore has prepared a 250-foot-long Lanka and plans an extended fireworks display. Bhopal has spent around ₹20 lakh on the three effigies. In Kota, Rajasthan, the 105-foot Ravana effigy weighs approximately 5,000 kg, while Kumbhkarna and Meghnad effigies are 70 feet tall each.
In Raipur, Chhattisgarh, a 101-foot Ravana effigy will be burnt. In Patna, Bihar, the Ravana effigy stands 90 feet tall, with steel pipes used in its construction to provide protection against rain. Ranchi in Jharkhand has prepared an 80-foot Ravana and a two-storey Lanka.
However, Dussehra traditions differ across India. In a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district, residents worship Ravana as ‘Ravana Baba’ instead of burning his effigy. The village has an ancient temple featuring a reclining statue of Ravana.
In Mysuru, Karnataka, Dussehra celebrates Goddess Chamundeshwari’s victory over Mahishasura, with a grand procession featuring decorated elephants. In Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, the seven-day festival begins on Vijayadashami, bringing together deities from nearby villages. Instead of burning Ravana, a symbolic structure representing Lanka is set on fire near the Beas River.
