Kanpur Temple Opens Once a Year on Dussehra for Ravana Worship

Kanpur: While Vijayadashami is widely celebrated across India by burning Ravana’s effigies, a temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur follows a unique tradition of worshipping the ten-headed king.

The Dashanan Temple, located within the Kailash Temple complex in the Shiwala area, opens its doors only once a year, on Vijayadashami. Built in 1868 by Maharaj Guru Prasad Shukla, the shrine conducts special rituals, including bathing Ravana’s idol with milk and holy water, followed by prayers and aarti.

According to temple priest Pandit Ram Bajpai, devotees visit the shrine to honour Ravana’s knowledge, wisdom and devotion to Lord Shiva, viewing him beyond his conventional portrayal as a symbol of evil.

A similar tradition is observed in Ravana village in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district, where Ravana is revered as ‘Ravan Baba’. The village temple houses a 12-foot reclining idol of the king, where daily prayers are performed. On Dussehra, instead of burning his effigy, villagers organise Ramayana recitations, devotional singing and a community feast.

These traditions offer a distinctive perspective on Vijayadashami, highlighting Ravana’s scholarly legacy and religious devotion alongside the festival’s broader message of the victory of good over evil.