In a unique tradition, a temple in Kanpur's Shivala area dedicated to Ravan, the demon king from the Ramayan, opens its doors to devotees only once a year on Vijaya Dashami.
Worshippers offer prayers at the temple from 6 am till 8:30 pm, just before effigies of Ravan are consigned to flames across the city to mark his defeat by Lord Ram, a symbolism for the victory of good over evil.
"Devotees light mustard-oil diya here and women offer torai (ridge gourd) flowers for marital blessings. In the morning, we celebrate Ravan's birthday. At night, Lord Ram grants him salvation and Ravan departs for Vaikunth Dham (heaven)," priest Chandan Maurya said.
Locals said thousands of people visit the temple on Vijaya Dashami, paying respect to the very figure who, by evening, is symbolically destroyed through the burning of effigies.
"It is not Ravan himself who is burned, but his effigy. The reason is that he gained great power and wisdom and ruled over the world, but he misused those qualities. He became egoistic and when someone becomes egoistic, it leads to wrongdoing," a devotee, Rajinder Gupta, said. -- PTI
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