Patna’s Gandhi Maidan will host the Ravan Vadh ceremony on October 20 with three giant effigies, a procession through central neighbourhoods and additional crowd-management measures following a recent incident in Kolkata, organisers and the administration said.
The 71st Shri Ramlila Mahotsav, organised by the Shri Dussehra Committee Trust, will feature a 90-foot effigy of Ravana, an 85-foot effigy of Meghnad and an 80-foot effigy of Kumbhakarna. The structures are being made by artisans from Agra and fitted with steel pipes to protect them from rain.
A two-storey Sone ki Lanka will also be installed beside the effigies at the maidan. The Ravan Vadh programme is scheduled to begin at 4.30pm and conclude around 6pm, after which the three effigies will be burnt. An eco-friendly fireworks display has been planned for the end of the ceremony.
The event will be preceded by a Shobha Yatra from Naga Baba Thakurbari. The procession will pass through Kadamkuan and Bakerganj before reaching Gate No. 1 of Gandhi Maidan. Performers dressed as Lord Hanuman and members of the vanar sena will take part in the route.
Trust chairman Kamal Nopany said organisers were taking additional precautions this year, with particular attention to crowd management. The administration has separately directed officials to strengthen surveillance at entry and exit points and maintain the smooth movement of visitors during the Ravan-Dahan programme.
The ceremony is expected to be attended by Bihar governor Syed Ata Hasnain, chief minister Samrat Choudhary, deputy chief ministers Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Nagaland governor Nand Kishore Yadav, ministers, MLAs and other public representatives.
A 36-member team from New Delhi’s Sanskritik Kala Sangam is staging a modern Ramleela presentation supported by a large digital screen. The Ramleela began on October 11 and will continue until October 19. Organisers have also scheduled Bharat Milap at Gandhi Maidan on October 21.
