Happy Dussehra!
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Dussehra 2022: On Vijaya Dashami, when people across the country celebrate the victory of good over evil by burning effigies of Ravana, a village in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh has never witnessed ‘Ravan Dahan’. The residents of Baragaon village also refuse to observe the festival as they believed that Ravan after gaining power (Shakti) in the Himalayas lost it in this village after handing it over to a farmer.
Speaking to the Times of India, Gauri Shankar, chief priest of a temple in the Baghpat village elaborated on the whole story and said, “Ours is an ancient village. It has always been called Ravana. For generations, we have been hearing a common legend associated with the demon king. He had meditated for years in the Himalayas to get shakti.”
“While returing from the mountains after attaining Shakti, Ravan passed through this village. He handed over the ‘shakti’ to a farmer, who placed it on the ground as he failed to bear the weight of the power. The ‘shakti’ then refused to go further with Ravana. So, he built a temple for Mansa Devi on the very spot where it stands today”, Times of India quoted the priest as saying.
Besides, Bisrakh in Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh is no different from Baragaon. If reports are to be believed, its residents refused to burn effigies of Ravan, Meghanad and Kumbhkarana. Legend has it that Ravana, born to sage Vishrava, an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, spent his early childhood in Bisrakh
Ram Das, a mahant of the ancient Shiva temple, which has come to be known as the Ravana temple over the years claimed that the ‘Lanka naresh’ was born in the village. “We don’t burn Ravana effigies, he was a son of our village. He was born here and we are proud of it,” Das said. Its residents also believe that the village gets its name from Vishravas, Ravana’s father and a famous sage.
Similarly, residents of a non-descript village in Maharashtra celebrate Dussehra in a different way as they perform the ‘aarti’ of demon king Ravan on the festival.
Many residents of Sangola village in Akola district believe they are employed and able to sustain their livelihood because of Ravan’s blessings and the peace and happiness in their village is because of the demon king. Locals claim the tradition of worshipping Ravan for his ”intelligence and ascetic qualities” has been going on in the village for last 300 years.
Happy Dussehra!
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