Ravana goes up in flames, Durga idols immersed

The festivities of Durga puja also came to an end on Monday as idols of the Goddess were immersed in ponds and rivers by devotees. Elaborate security arrangements were made at all the venues to prevent any untoward incident.

In the national capital, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi joined thousands of residents to celebrate the festival and attended the Ramlila at the Parade Ground which witnessed a massive turnout of people. Singh applied ‘tilak’ on the forehead of artistes who played the role of Lord Ram and Lakshman.

People dressed in their festive best visited friends and relatives and exchanged gifts on the culmination of nine days of prayers and fasting to mark the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana.
The festivities came to a spectacular end in Mysore after 10-day celebrations as over five lakh people witnessed a grand procession starting from the palace.