Panchkula: After the Sri Ram Lila Society in Dwarka, Delhi, erecting India’s tallest Ravana effigy, standing at an impressive 211 feet during the Dussehra festival, the second tallest Ravana effigy will be the centrepiece of celebrations in Chandigarh’s Sector 46 on October 12.
It is to be noted that this year, 54 permissions have been granted across the city for holding Ramleela and Dussehra events. For the unversed, a 25-member team of artisans from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, have been constructing this special effigy for over 40 days.
Initially, artist Tejinder Singh Rana made the effigy 180 feet tall, making it the tallest in Tricity. However, it collapsed and broke into three pieces during strong winds on Saturday night following which it was reconstructed in just 12 hours using JCB machines at the Dussehra Ground near Shalimar Mall. Now, its height has been reduced to 155 feet.
"It seems the strong winds loosened the rope we used to secure it. We re-constructed it in 12 hours and erected it with a height of 155 feet, the second highest in the country. The tallest 211-foot effigy in Dwarka has also been constructed by us,” Rana said.
However, this is not the first time that Chandigarh has constructed such iconic effigies. In 2019, the city made headlines when a 221-foot Ravana effigy was burned in Dhanas village, attracting visitors from far and near.
Dussehra, also termed Vijaya Dashami, marks the culmination of the nine-day festival of Navaratri. It falls on the tenth day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashwin and symbolises the victory of good over evil. This is why Ram Leela is staged and an effigy of Ravan is burnt on the occasion of Dussehra in most parts of the country.
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