NAGPUR: Ravan Madane works as a lecturer in a zilla parishad faculty. He proudly carries a reputation that incessantly raises eyebrows on account of its starting place—Ravana, the notorious demon king within the Ramayana. However for Madane and his fellow villagers from Sangola in Akola district, there’s not anything bad about embracing this title.
“In Sangola, we just don’t feel anything wrong about naming our kids after Ravana.Because we have been worshipping Ravana here for generations now,” says Madane.
Generation many southern villages devotion Ravana, Vidarbha boasts of a novel custom. Sangola, with its 1500-odd family, harbours a ten-faced, five-foot elevated stone idol of Ravana, a tribute that comes alive on Dussehra and each Saturday.
The ‘Lankapati Ravan Shraddha Sansthan’ guarantees the demon king will get his due.“We believe that Ravana was agreat king, scholar, warrior, and artist. We also accept his evil and demonic character. But, in this village, people worship only the positive side of Ravana’s personality,” says Chandrakant Pore, a proud Sangola resident.
The village holds a important legend, handed ill thru generations. “Our forefathers used to tell us that a sage lived in our village some 350 years ago. When he died, villagers deci-ded to sculpt his statue and worship it. The sculptor, however, made this idol of Ravana by mistake,” remembers Daji Extra, an aged member of the believe.
To begin with, villagers hesitated to embody this debatable deity. However a dream modified the entirety. “Some of them dreamt that they should bring the statue from the sculptor. When they brought it in a bullock cart, the bulls stopped near the village border and refused to move further. So, villagers fixed it on the border of the village and started worshipping it,” Extra says.
Pray for youngsters, vow to call them upcoming him
Sangola’s citizens don’t honour any alternative fairs or carry out particular rituals for his or her deity. However, they firmly consider that Ravana responds to their prayers. Childless {couples} pray to him for a son, vowing to call him Ravana if their prayers are replied.
“In Sangola, we just don’t feel anything wrong about naming our kids after Ravana.Because we have been worshipping Ravana here for generations now,” says Madane.
Generation many southern villages devotion Ravana, Vidarbha boasts of a novel custom. Sangola, with its 1500-odd family, harbours a ten-faced, five-foot elevated stone idol of Ravana, a tribute that comes alive on Dussehra and each Saturday.
The ‘Lankapati Ravan Shraddha Sansthan’ guarantees the demon king will get his due.“We believe that Ravana was agreat king, scholar, warrior, and artist. We also accept his evil and demonic character. But, in this village, people worship only the positive side of Ravana’s personality,” says Chandrakant Pore, a proud Sangola resident.
The village holds a important legend, handed ill thru generations. “Our forefathers used to tell us that a sage lived in our village some 350 years ago. When he died, villagers deci-ded to sculpt his statue and worship it. The sculptor, however, made this idol of Ravana by mistake,” remembers Daji Extra, an aged member of the believe.
To begin with, villagers hesitated to embody this debatable deity. However a dream modified the entirety. “Some of them dreamt that they should bring the statue from the sculptor. When they brought it in a bullock cart, the bulls stopped near the village border and refused to move further. So, villagers fixed it on the border of the village and started worshipping it,” Extra says.
Pray for youngsters, vow to call them upcoming him
Sangola’s citizens don’t honour any alternative fairs or carry out particular rituals for his or her deity. However, they firmly consider that Ravana responds to their prayers. Childless {couples} pray to him for a son, vowing to call him Ravana if their prayers are replied.
