Towering effigies of 10-headed demon king Ravana, his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhakaran crackled in fiery splendour marking the triumph of good over evil as gusto and fervour marked Dussehra festivities across the country.
Crowds burst into cheers as the stuffed effigies, dotting grounds and open spaces, went up in flames at sundown.
A burning effigy of demon-king Ravana during Dussehra celebrations of Shri Dharmik Leela Committee at Red Fort in New Delhi. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo
An artist dressed as demon King Ravana reacts as he takes part in a religious play during Dussehra in Chandigarh. Photograph: Ajay Verma/Reuters
Artists dressed as Rama and Laxman act in a religious play as fireworks explode during Dussehra in Chandigarh. Photograph: Ajay Verma/Reuters
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh prepare to shoot arrows at the effigies of demon-king Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad during Dussehra celebrations of Nav Shri Dharmik Leela Committee at Red Fort in New Delhi. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo
Bengali women dance during Sundir Khela on the ocassion of Vijayadashmi at Vashi in Navi Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo
Devotees prepare to immerse an idol of Durga into the Ganga river on the last day of the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters