DEHRADUN: For the past week, commuters passing by the Parade Ground in the heart of Dehradun have had their attention drawn towards a towering 131-ft effigy of Ravana installed in the ground.
According to members of the Bannu Biradari Dussehra Committee, the organisers of the festivities at the ground, the effigy of the demon king is the tallest in North India this year.
Record holder crafts ‘tallest Ravana effigy’ in Doon
Tejinder Singh Chauhan, the artisan behind the creation, had previously registered a record in his name in the Limca Book of Records for crafting the tallest Ravana effigy in the country — 221 ft high — which was set ablaze in Chandigarh during Dussehra in 2019. Speaking with TOI, Chauhan, who hails from Barara near Ambala in Haryana, said, “Almost all the raw materials for the effigy were sourced from Ambala. Only the spare parts used for assembling were bought in Dehradun.”
Chauhan said that it took more than three months and a crew of 25 skilled craftsmen to put together the effigy at a cost of Rs 8 lakh. Two other effigies (Kumbhakarna, Ravana’s brother and Meghnad, the demon king’s son), the model of Lanka, and two Rakshasa effigies have cost Rs 2 lakh. They have been crafted by an artisan from Mahendragarh in Haryana.
While the effigy has been attracting a steady stream of onlookers, the organisers said they are also promoting the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative through the festivities. “This year, we have printed calendars based on the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative. We have highlighted the theme in all our memorabilia and souvenirs related to the festival. We have also organised donation drives for girls’ hostels,” said Santosh Nagpal, president of the committee.
According to members of the Bannu Biradari Dussehra Committee, the organisers of the festivities at the ground, the effigy of the demon king is the tallest in North India this year.
Record holder crafts ‘tallest Ravana effigy’ in Doon
Tejinder Singh Chauhan, the artisan behind the creation, had previously registered a record in his name in the Limca Book of Records for crafting the tallest Ravana effigy in the country — 221 ft high — which was set ablaze in Chandigarh during Dussehra in 2019. Speaking with TOI, Chauhan, who hails from Barara near Ambala in Haryana, said, “Almost all the raw materials for the effigy were sourced from Ambala. Only the spare parts used for assembling were bought in Dehradun.”
Chauhan said that it took more than three months and a crew of 25 skilled craftsmen to put together the effigy at a cost of Rs 8 lakh. Two other effigies (Kumbhakarna, Ravana’s brother and Meghnad, the demon king’s son), the model of Lanka, and two Rakshasa effigies have cost Rs 2 lakh. They have been crafted by an artisan from Mahendragarh in Haryana.
While the effigy has been attracting a steady stream of onlookers, the organisers said they are also promoting the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative through the festivities. “This year, we have printed calendars based on the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative. We have highlighted the theme in all our memorabilia and souvenirs related to the festival. We have also organised donation drives for girls’ hostels,” said Santosh Nagpal, president of the committee.