Kanpur Temple Bucks Tradition, Opens Annually To Honor Ravana

KANPUR-While Vijayadashami is traditionally marked by the burning of Ravana’s effigies across India, a temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur follows a different tradition, opening its doors only once a year on Dussehra for devotees to worship the ten-headed king.

The Dashanan Temple, located within the Kailash Temple complex in the Shiwala area of Kanpur, remains closed for the other 364 days of the year.

Temple priest Pandit Ram Bajpai said the shrine was built in 1868 by Maharaj Guru Prasad Shukla. On Dussehra, the temple opens in the morning, and the idol of Ravana is ceremonially bathed with milk and holy water. Traditional rituals follow, along with prayers and aarti.

The tradition reflects the belief that Ravana should not be remembered solely as a symbol of evil but also as a learned scholar, an intelligent ruler and a devoted follower of Lord Shiva. Devotees offer prayers, flowers and oil lamps at the shrine to honor these aspects of his life.

A similar tradition is followed in Ravana village in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district, where the demon king is worshipped as the presiding deity and affectionately called ‘Ravan Baba’. The village’s temple houses a 12-foot reclining idol of Ravana, where daily prayers and aarti are performed.

Rather than burning his effigy on Dussehra, villagers organize Ramayana recitations, devotional singing and a community feast, attracting devotees from Vidisha, Bhopal and neighboring areas. (IANS)