While the whole country celebrates burning the effigy of Ravan on Dussehra as a symbol of victory of good over evil, people of a place called Mandor in Rajasthan mourn this day. The mythological king embodied as the fountain head of evil is worshipped there.
On Dussehra, the descendants of Dave Godha clan mourn the day and never go to watch his effigies getting burnt.
As the legend goes, Ravan was married to Mandodari, daughter of king of Mandawar, known as Mandor now. It is a picturesque garden town situated about 11 km away from the sun city Jodhpur.
The legend has it that after the marriage of Ravan and Mandodari, some of Ravan’s relatives stayed back there. The people of the village used to keep their love for the demon king confined to the four walls of their homes.
But in 2008, a temple was built for him. A six-and-a-half-feet tall Ravan statue invoking Lord Shiva was installed in the temple.
Statue is made up of Jodhpur sandstone. And since then, he is worshipped every day in the temple.
On the day of Dussehra, the descendants of Dave Godha clan wait until the demon king’s effigy is completely burnt.
Then they take bath, get dressed in washed clothes and assemble in the temple to offer special prayers to him with flowers and sweets (prasad) amidst religious chanting invoking the Ravan.
The descendants regard Ravan as a scholarly person of his times regardless of the myth saying he abducted Sita which led to his fall at the hands of Lord Rama.
“People here considered him a sublime, benevolent and mighty soul, and revered him. This practice continued here with their stay,” says temple’s priest Ajay Dave.
Some of them also collect the unburnt parts of his effigy and prepare a fresh effigy on their own quickly. They burn it with due respect and as per all the customs. The people of Mandor believe that leaving the unburnt parts shows disrespect to Ravan.
“He was a glorious and dignified king of Lanka who had earned the blessings of Lord Shiva. He was a great scholar of his times who had vast knowledge of Vedas and puranas,” adds Dave.
A temple of Maa Kharanana, revered by Ravan himself and referred as ‘kuldevi’ of his clan, also stands atop a small hill in Mandor where also prayers are held regul
arly.
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