Jodhpur: The Dussehra festival is being celebrated every where in India including Jodhpur, however, in view of the global epidemic, this time the program of Ravan Dahan is not kept in the grounds of Ravan's chabootra like every year by the Municipal Administration. Due to this, small effigies of Ravana can be seen in various streets.
While Ravana Dahan will be performed in the evening and the joy of Dussehra will be celebrated to symbolize the victory of truth over untruth, but there are some people in Jodhpur who celebrate the day of Ravana Dahan as a form of mourning. They consider themselves to be from Ravana's lineage.
There is a belief in the Puranas that Ravana was married to Mandodari in Jodhpur. At that time some people who came to the procession with Ravana settled here and their descendants are still in Jodhpur who is known as Srimali Goda Brahmin and a temple of Ravana has also been built by him in Jodhpur where Ravana is worshiped daily like other temples. The temple has been built by the Brahmins of Goda gotra.
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Kamlesh Kumar Dubey, a temple priest and descendant of Ravana told that his ancestors had settled here at the time of Ravana's marriage and that he first worshiped Ravana's picture. According to him, Ravana was a great music scholar and astrologer and these people try to take the good qualities of Ravana by worshiping him.
In view of the global pandemic this year, Ravan dahan will not be done, but still in the evening, Ravana's descendants will worship Ravana, and only after that, they will eat. Kamlesh Dave, a descendant of Ravana and a priest of the temple, said that the day of Dussehra is a symbol of mourning for him. On one hand, while the whole nation celebrates the happiness of Ravana combustion, he and his family celebrate it as mourning.
Pandit Kamlesh Dave told that Ravana was called the scholar of the Vedas, as well as a great musician, due to which hundreds of people from all over the country come to this temple to see the statue of Ravana. The priest said that Ravana's wife Mandodari was a resident of Jodhpur and Ravan's in-laws were in Jodhpur, due to which, in the Mandore area of Jodhpur, Ravana and Mandodari's wedding spot is still there.
Even though Ravan dahen will not be done like every year due to the global epidemic corona, Ravana will still be worshiped in this temple and this day will be celebrated as mourning by the descendants of Ravana.
