Rajasthan Darshan Desk, The festival of Dussehra is celebrated on the tenth day of Shukla Paksha of Ashwin month. Dussehra is the festival of victory of good over evil. Ravana will be burnt on Vijayadashami on October 12 across the country, but this tradition is not there in many areas of Uttar Pradesh. Ravana’s effigy will not be burnt here, but he will be worshiped at some places. There are different beliefs behind this at different places.
the story is like this
Baragaon village of Baghpat, UP, which is still called ‘Ravana’ in revenue records. Neither the effigy of Ravana is burnt here, nor Dussehra is celebrated. People here say that this is an ancient village. It is said that Ravana did penance (meditation) for years in the Himalayas for powers. After getting the powers, he passed through this village while returning from the mountains, then for some reason Ravana handed over the powers to a farmer. But, the farmer was unable to bear the weight of power, he placed the powers on the ground. Then ‘Shakti’ refused to go ahead with Ravana. Therefore, he built a temple for Manasa Devi at the same place where it stands today.
archaeological evidence also
This village is said to have existed as far back as 1,500 BC. Western UP has played an important role in both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. This is so much so that the names of many cities are the same which are written in the two epics. No one celebrates Dussehra in this village. When the effigy of Ravana is burnt in the country to symbolize the victory of good over evil. Dussehra is not celebrated in this village then in many villages of this region.
Bisrakh, where Ravana was born
Dussehra is not celebrated even in Bisrakh village in Gautam Buddha Nagar. This is not even the burning of Ravana. About 5,500 residents here believe that Ravana and his two brothers were born here.
Ravana was knowledgeable
Saraswat Brahmin community in Agra does not burn the effigy of Ravana, but worships him. He says that Ravana was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and a storehouse of knowledge. That’s why Saraswat Brahmin also respects Ravana. These people do not burn the effigy, because they believe that he was their ancestor.
