Patna: Tens of thousands of people gathered across Patna district on Thursday to celebrate Dussehra, the annual festival marking the triumph of good over evil, with the burning of effigies representing Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Meghnath.
In Mokama, a town known for its elaborate Dussehra celebrations since the 1980s, effigies of Ravana, standing 60 feet tall, and Kumbhakarna and Meghnath, both 55 feet, were set ablaze amidst chants of “Jai Shri Ram”. The event, held at SKM School, featured a grand Ramayana tableau, which paraded through the town before culminating in the symbolic battle at 5 pm.
Vice-Chancellor of Patliputra University, Upendra Prasad Singh, served as the chief guest, while DIG Ravindra Bhagat of the CRPF Group Center described the figures as symbols of “injustice, arrogance and falsehood” and urged attendees to uphold righteousness. Senior Auditor Devendra Prasad Singh welcomed the guests, and local teacher Shrikant Singh presided over the ceremony. A half-hour-long fireworks display added to the spectacle, drawing huge crowds.
Meanwhile, in Singodi village under the Paliganj subdivision, the All India Youth Association organised a separate Dussehra festival and effigy-burning ceremony at the local high school playground. Bihar Development Commissioner S. Siddharth inaugurated the event, cutting the ribbon alongside local dignitaries, and later addressed the assembled crowd, offering greetings and pledging development initiatives for the region. Effigies of Ravana and Kumbhakarna were burnt to mark the symbolic victory of good over evil, witnessed by thousands from surrounding villages.
The events were supported by a combination of administrative and civic bodies, with officials including Paliganj Sub-Divisional Officer Garima Lohiya and CDPO Rajiv Chandra Singh present. BJP leaders and local social activists also attended, while volunteers from the All India Youth Association played a pivotal role in organising the festivities.
