STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: Marking the victory of righteousness over evil, Dussehra was celebrated across entire Jammu region on Saturday with effigies of Ravana along with Kumbhkarna and Meghnath going up in flames, bringing the curtains down on nine day long Ram Lila, performed every night at several places depicting Ramayan (from the birth of Lord Rama to the end of Ravana). Member of Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma was the chief guest while BJP Working President Sat Sharma, Ex-Mayor Rajinder Sharma were also present.
Huge effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkarna and brother Meghnath (also known as Inderjeet), symbolising the evils, whose end by Lord Rama and his ‘sena’ led by Veer Hanuman and Sughreev is celebrated every year as Dussehra, went up in flames as at the stroke in the presence of hundreds of people at Parade Ground in the heart of City.
Earlier, Shri Sanatan Dharam Sabha Natak Samaj Deewan Mandir and Shri Raghunath Ji Mandir Rath reached the venue after performing Puja.
Fire laden arrows were fired in a traditional manner by the youth who acted Lord Rama in Ram Lila on the three evils, sending their effigies, specially erected by the artists from Uttar Pradesh over a period of one month, in flames with the bursting of crackers.
A huge crowd spread over sprawling lawns of Parade Ground, adjoining Sports Club, Police Control Room and roof tops of all houses, shops and business establishments cheered as the three effigies were burnt and sound of crackers rocked the entire City.
All roads leading to Parade Ground had been closed by the police well before the start of function. Still, hundreds of people travelled to the Ground to watch the victory of truth over evil. Before the ‘jhanki’ with persons acting as Lord Rama, Lakshman, Sita Mata and Veer Hanuman entered the Parade Ground, it was taken out in different parts of the City.
The main attraction of the day was the function organised at the parade ground. People thronged the venue to watch the effigies of Ravana, Meghnada and Kumbhakarna go up in flames. Many could be seen sitting on top of the vehicles parked near the venue to get a better glimpse of the celebrations. Some of them had also climbed trees.
Extraordinary fireworks were displayed this time at the function.
A similar huge gathering watched the end of Ravana, Kumbhkarna and Meghnath at Dussehra Grounds in Gandhi Nagar. The chariot carrying Lord Rama’s character and others was taken out from Luxmi Narayan temple to different parts of Gandhi Nagar before entering famous Dussehra Ground .
Meanwhile, Dussehra, the festival marked the triumph of good over evil, was celebrated with great religious fervour in Srinagar, officials said.
In the summer capital, the Vijay Dashmi (Dussehra) was successfully held at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium, Srinagar.
Organized by the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti, an organization which primarily addresses the concerns of resident Kashmiri Pandits who stayed back in the Valley, the festival brought together diverse communities from across the region to witness the symbolic burning of effigies of Ravana, Meghnath, and Kumbhkaran.
National Conference President Farooq Abdullah also attended Dussehra celebrations at Srinagar’s Stadium.
Abdullah appealed to Kashmiri Pandits to come back home.
“I hope that our brothers and sisters who have left from here come back home. Now the time has come, they should return to their homes,”: Abdullah told reporters. “We do not think only about Kashmiri Pandits, but we also think about the people of Jammu, we should treat them well, they should also feel that the National Conference government is not their enemy. We are Indians and we want to take everyone along.”
This one-of-a-kind event in the entire Kashmir Valley drew large crowds, including dignitaries, government officials, and officers from the local administration, all of whom joined the festivities in a spirit of unity, KPSS said
The KPSS also extended its deepest gratitude to Puneet Balan and the Puneet Balan Group for their generous support in making this event a grand success for the second consecutive year.
Building on the resounding success of last year’s Dussehra celebration, this year’s festival further strengthened the message of communal harmony.
Dussehra was celebrated with great enthusiasm and religious fervour on Saturday evening at the sports stadium, Udhampur. Thousands of people participated in the celebrations where the effigies of Ravana, Kumbkarna and Meghnatha were consigned to flames marking the victory of truth over evil.
CRPF personnel as well as the Dog Squad were deployed to avoid any untoward incident during the celebration.
Meanwhile, a Bandara was also organised in Shiv Shakti mandir, Sector -2, Gangyal. The mandir committee has organised Bajans and kirtans along with Prasad during the Navratras. Chairman of Mandir committee Dev Raj Sharma thanked the devotees and committee members who participated in the Navratri Poojas.
