Demanding ban on Rawan Dahan
Nagpur: Gond tribals populating the rural areas in Vidarbha find themselves as descendants of Rawan, who was a Dravidian, and worship him as their religious Lord. At many tribal houses there are found the pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses as well as that of Rawan, believed to the demon king of Lanka, claim his devotees. In Paraswadi village of Dhanora tahsil in Gadchiroli district, on can see a temple of Rawan.
Demand for banning tradition of Rawan Dahan
After several years of traditional burning of Rawan effigy on Dussehra day, as a symbol of victory of good over the evil, the Gond tribals are now demanding a ban on the tradition of Rawan’s effigy burning. The tribal community on this Dussehra day during a congregation in the city of Nagpur did not only worship Rawan but also registered its protest against Rawan Dahan.
According to Gond Youth Force president Arvind Masram, Gond tribals are descendants of Rawan who is also the centre of their devotion and faith, and so, it becomes their Constitutional right to worship Rawan as their paramount choice.
It seems to be a new change in the attitude of tribal community since this year’s Dussehra, and this change is likely to further get intensified in near future. Masram further said, there are several temples of Rawan across the country and crores of people worship him, and added that “Gond is our religion, and Rawan our king.”
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Thursday 09 Jan. 2025
The time alone will prove as to how Rawan can be viewed as a god and a demon at the same time.
