Ramlila is also organized in Balod village. There is also a temple of Lord Rama here, where he is worshiped and Ravana Dahan is also grand. Ravana is also worshiped here on Dussehra. There is a statue of Ravana wearing coat and pants in the village. The villagers worship this idol.
Ravana statue in coat and pants
The festival of Dussehra is being celebrated with great enthusiasm in the country. There is a tradition of burning the effigy of Ravana on this day. But in a village in Balod district of Chhattisgarh, Ravana is worshiped on the day of Dussehra. There is also an effigy of Ravana in the village, which is not in traditional attire but in coat and pants. The villagers worship Ravana considering him to be very knowledgeable and learned. The statue of Ravana that had been installed in the village for years has been broken.
No one can be as intelligent as Ravana: Villager
The idol of Ravana has been worshiped for a long time in Tarri village of Gurur block of Balod district. According to the villagers, during the time of their ancestors, Ravana was made of clay and worshipped. Later, gradually a solid cement statue was made. They believe that Ravana was a highly knowledgeable scholar who was adept in all arts. No one can be as intelligent as Ravana, that is why Ravana is worshiped from his ancestors till today.
Construction of Ram temple in front of Ravana's effigy
A statue of Ravana has been built on one side of the village and a temple of Lord Ram has also been built on the other side. The people of the village say that Lord Ram is our ideal, hence he should be worshipped. Therefore, later the villagers built a Ram temple in the village. According to the villagers, people in the village tell the story of Ravana's knowledge even to the children. Ravana Dahan is also organized after organizing Ramlila.
100 year old Ravana idol has been covered with a coat of paint
The idol of Ravana built in the village is more than 100 years old. According to the villagers, this statue was made 100 years ago. He says that the dilapidated statue will be installed soon. But whenever another idol of Ravana is made, it will be given a similar coat of paint. Village elder Rameshwar Nishad told that the tradition of worshiping Ravana on Dussehra has been going on in the village for a long time. He says that earlier his ancestors used to make Ravana of clay, which got destroyed. After this, the idol of Ravana was to be made of lime and cement. This idol of Ravana has been installed here for many years.