Raipur: Shocked aren’t you? While the entire country burns the effigy of Ravan today on Dusshera, there are certain villages of Chhattisgarh where it is believed that if the effigy was burnt here, there is a possibility of inauspicious events occurring. Therefore, a statue of Ravana is made in these villages where Ravana is symbolically killed by running an arrow during Ramleela. This tradition has been going on for 70 years.
In the open ground in the outskirts of Chhattisgarh villages and cities, you will see idols made of stone or cement of Ravana. Here on the outskirts of most of the villages there is a plain known by the name of Ravana Bhantha, bhantha in chattisgarhi dialogue means plain land . According to the old tradition, giant statues of Ravana are installed here. These idols are not of clay or cardboard, but are made of stone, etc. Some are up to 400 years old.
In Chhattisgarh, huge statues of Dashanan will be seen in almost every village. Interestingly, these statues have been erected outside the village under the open sky. It is also a practice that the statue is held with an iron chain. Where there is no chain, it is chained with paint, which is seen lying in the foot of Ravana. The message is that there is no place for evil like Ravan in not only the village, but also in daily conduct. Ravan, who is chained outside the village, keeps reminding people to stay away from wrong deeds in daily life.
