States » NorthPosted at: Oct 19 2026 4:28PM


In Etawah’s Jaswantnagar, Ravana is worshipped, not burnt

Etawah, Oct 19 (UNI) While Ravana’s effigy is burnt across much of India on Dussehra, the town of Jaswantnagar in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district follows a distinctive tradition in which the demon king is worshipped before being symbolically slain.
Instead of burning his effigy, devotees break it into pieces and take the wooden remains home, believing they bring wisdom, prosperity and protection from negative forces.
According to Rajiv Gupta, manager of the Jaswantnagar Ramlila Committee, the town’s centuries-old tradition sets its Dussehra celebrations apart from those held elsewhere in the country. Ravana is worshipped across the town, with aarti performed using incense and camphor as his procession moves towards the battlefield.
The Ramlila committee says the celebrations will culminate on October 21 this year, a day after Dussehra is observed in much of the country on October 20. The local schedule follows the traditional Panchak muhurta, according to Gupta.
The Jaswantnagar Ramlila is believed to have originated in 1855, although the celebrations were interrupted during the 1857 uprising. The tradition resumed in 1859 and has continued since then, according to the organisers.
Unlike conventional Ramlila performances staged on elaborate sets, the event takes place in an open field and incorporates distinctive South Indian theatrical traditions. Its unusual rituals and performance style have drawn attention beyond India. The Ramlila was also included in a UNESCO report on Ramlila traditions published in 2010, according to the organisers.
A 15-foot-tall effigy of Ravana is erected at the Ramlila ground during Navratri. On Dussehra, the battle between Rama and Ravana is staged in the evening, with performers riding on palanquins. At around 10 pm, during the designated Panchak muhurta, Ravana is symbolically slain and his effigy falls to the ground.
Instead of setting the effigy on fire, spectators pelt it with stones and strike it with sticks until it breaks apart. People then collect pieces of its wood, bamboo and clothing to take home.
Residents believe that keeping these items in their homes wards off evil spirits and misfortune while bringing prosperity. The practice is so deeply rooted that the effigy’s wooden remains are usually collected by the crowd.
Another unusual feature of the tradition is the observance of Ravana’s terahvin, or thirteenth-day ceremony, for which townspeople are invited.
The Ramlila’s costumes and masks are among its most distinctive features. Actors portraying Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhakaran wear masks made from metals such as copper, brass and iron. Ravana’s mask, featuring ten heads, is the largest and most striking.
Painted with natural colours, the masks are used during battlefield scenes, with the performers’ faces also bearing the Tripundra mark associated with Lord Shiva.
Gupta said the Ramlila was originally performed only during the daytime but gradually expanded into night performances as lighting facilities improved.
He also said his ancestors came from Saurashtra and settled in the region following a crisis before Independence, after which the family became associated with the Ramlila tradition.
For the people of Jaswantnagar, the annual celebration is more than a retelling of the Ramayana. It is a distinctive cultural tradition in which Ravana, despite being defeated in the epic, is accorded reverence, and the remains of his effigy are treasured as symbols of protection and good fortune.
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