Kanpur's Annual Ravan Temple Celebration
Annually, a Kanpur temple dedicated to the demon king Ravan opens for worshippers on Vijaya Dashami. Devotees offer prayers, light mustard-oil diyas, and present torai flowers for blessings. The day marks Ravan's symbolic defeat, celebrated uniquely with reverence and rituals, despite his effigy's evening destruction symbolizing good's triumph over evil.
- Country:
- India
In Kanpur's Shivala, a temple uniquely devoted to Ravan, the demon king from the Hindu epic Ramayan, opens for worship just once annually on Vijaya Dashami.
From 6 am until 8:30 pm, worshippers gather to pray, light mustard-oil lamps, and present ridge gourd flowers, commemorating Ravan until his effigy is burned citywide at nightfall. This practice symbolizes a broader victory of good, embodied by Lord Ram, over the evils Ravan represents.
According to priest Chandan Maurya, Ravan's birthday is celebrated in the morning, and by night, it is believed Lord Ram grants him salvation, leading him to heaven. Thousands of locals visit the temple every year, reflecting on the moral complexities Ravan embodies, despite his symbolic destruction. Interestingly, this Kanpur shrine is not alone in its veneration; across India, various communities, including those from Bisrakh in Noida, regard Ravan with reverence and familial ties, choosing worship over the destruction of his likeness.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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