One Man, Many Versions

An imposing fuchsia pink visage of Raavan, having jet black eyes and a big black moustache, stands out. Placed next to it is an even taller purple-colour bust of Raavan. A man sitting on the pavement—oblivious to the traffic passing by on a regular day in Tatarpur area of West Delhi—is meticulously cutting small pieces of purple craft paper to be pasted on the bust made of bamboo.

Every year, after Rakshabandhan in August, for three months, the entire stretch of two-three kilometres in Tatarpur comes alive. On the pavements, dividers and beneath the metro bridge, hundreds of artisans—ordinary men and women, known as ‘Raavanwalas’—are seen giving shape to Raavan’s bulging eyes, broad lips and curly moustache. Bamboo frames and vibrant papier mâché depictions of the demon king become a familiar sight. The area virtually becomes Raavan’s kingdom. Some even call it the “Lanka of Delhi”.

The effigies created by these artisans are in demand on the day of Dussehra, not just in the Delhi-NCR region but also in states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab. They occasionally attract international buyers as well.

These artisans—some extremely skilled and some amateur, but passionate to learn the craft—practically put their lives on hold for these three months. While some are locals and migrant workers who moved to the national capital for bread and butter, many also arrive from states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana, especially to make these effigies and in the hope of making extra income. Some make the pavements and dividers in Tatarpur their home.

What’s striking about these Raavan effigies are the choices of papers used—bright orange, dark green, baby pink and rainbow purple. There is a sea of colour. But there is also a splash of sadness as Dussehra approaches. These artisans know that the effigies would eventually go up in flames. This is the reason why they avoid participating in the Raavan dahan ceremony. As creators, they end up forming an emotional bond with Raavan.

Raavan is a “blessing” for them. They revere him. Their day begins by thanking him. He, after all, helps them earn in three months what they probably can’t in the whole year.

“We worship him. He brings us good fortune. While Raavan may be seen as a villain by many, for us, he is our annadata (source of livelihood). This bond makes it difficult for us to watch his effigies burning,” says Mahendar Pal, 74. He inherited this cherished craft from his ustad (teacher) Chuttan Lal Sahani—popularly known as ‘Raavan Wale Baba’ in the area.

A 50-foot effigy is created at a cost of approximately Rs 10,000-15,000 and is sold for Rs 500 per foot. A significant portion of sales occurs in the final two or three days of the Ram Leela festival. In addition, the effigies of Meghnad and Kumbhakaran, Raavan’s brothers, are also in high demand throughout the country.

Kamal Bora, 39, has been working with different artisans here for the past 20 years as a labourer on a daily wage basis. This enables him to earn somewhere near Rs 1 lakh in three months. The resident of Uttarakhand works as a chef at stalls serving fast food for the rest of the year.

He perceives Raavan as a “great scholar”, who was “highly skilled” in performing all religious rituals. “While Raavan may be seen as a demon king by others, to me, he was a Brahmin who possessed extensive knowledge of the six shastras and the four vedas,” he says, while pasting brown imported PVC papers on a bamboo frame. “We earn a lot by making his effigies. How can we feel good seeing him being burnt?”

Avinash Kumar Rajput, a migrant labourer from Bihar’s Madhubani district, says: “Itni mehnat se hum in putlon ko banate hain aur log inhe phhonk dete hain (We put in so much effort to create these effigies, and people just blow them away).” He adds that they don’t care how mythology portrays Raavan, they earn livelihood because of him. “And therefore, every day, when we come to work, we worship him first and seek his blessings and forgiveness,” says Rajput.

In a country where Ram is worshipped, Pushpa Kashyap, who has been in this enterprise for over 20 years, with her in-laws also involved in it, says many artisans, including hers, in fact, mourn the death of Raavan on Dussehra. “We work on these effigies meticulously day and night, forging a deep emotional connection with them. When these artworks are set ablaze, it feels like we have committed a sin, for it is our hands that crafted them for this very purpose,” she reflects, adding they mourn for the atonement of the “sin”.

The Effigy Making of Tatarpur

The origins of the Raavan effigy-making trade in Tatarpur date back to a local legend involving Chuttan Lal Sahani from Sikandarabad, UP, who migrated to Delhi in the 1960s. Initially engaged in selling funeral materials, he faced a slow season before coming up with the innovative idea of creating small effigies, using bamboo intended for cremation. His creations were well-received and burned during the Dussehra.

Inspired by this success, he, popularly called “Raavan Baba”, established an annual tradition of crafting effigies. Within a few years, he was flooded with orders, and local children gathered to watch him create and learn from him. After his death, these children continued the tradition and became master craftsmen, though many are reluctant to pass on the trade due to low profitability.

The artisans belong to the Gadia Lohar community, a nomadic tribe known as wandering blacksmiths, whose lineage traces back to Maharana Pratap’s army. After his defeat, they vowed not to return home until India’s independence.

Each effigy is meticulously constructed through a process called “napai” (measurement). It begins with creating a bamboo skeletal frame, which is then encased in layers of old chiffon sarees and brown paper. It is adhered with natural glue made from sugar and corn flour. This layering continues until a robust structure is formed, which is then painted or wrapped in colourful paper. Once dried, the true artistry emerges, with gold and silver paper, glitter and intricate designs added. Each effigy reflects the craftsman’s personal style, featuring unique elements like exaggerated moustaches and expressive eyes that capture Raavan’s fearsome essence.

Today, artisans have adapted their materials for enhanced durability by using green bamboo from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, along with waterproof paper from Japanese bags. The most experienced craftsmen mentor younger generations to preserve this cherished art form for the future.

‘Raavan was Born in Noida and Married in Meerut’

It’s not only the artisans of Tatarpur who revere Raavan. The residents of Bisrakh Jalalpur village in Greater Noida worship him with the wish of having a learned child like him. This village is home to an ancient Shiva temple where Raavan is said to have performed rigorous penance for many years to seek Lord Shiva’s blessings.

It is believed that Raavan and his father, Vishvashrava, were born here. It was here that Raavan worshipped Lord Shiva while seated in front of the octagonal Shiva lingam and received blessings from him. He left from here in his youth to conquer Lanka from Kubera and never returned. Raavan is remembered here as a son. The women of the village come to worship the Shiva lingam in the temple “built at Raavan’s birthplace”. The lifestyle of the people in this village, which has a hundred odd homes, may be simple, but they are quite prosperous. Octogenarian Kallo Devi claims that Raavan was very learned and a devoted follower of Lord Shiva.

“We also consider Ram to be good, but we regard Raavan as a son. He was born and grew up here. No effigy of Raavan is burned on Dussehra. Many years ago, a few people did it, but those who were involved faced untimely deaths. Since that day, we mourn on this occasion and worship at the temple. However, in our homes, we also worship Ram and Sita,” she says.

Her fellow villagers say that Ram Leela or recitations of the Ramayana are never conducted here, nor are any anti-Raavan activities organised. The belief behind this fear is that if someone holds a recitation of the Ramayana, accidents of one form or the other begin to occur, leading to deaths. In Bisrakh, no one even says that Raavan was at fault.

A former priest at the Shiva temple in the village shares that until several years ago, there was just an open Shiva lingam in Bisrakh. When word spread far and wide that this was Raavan’s village, former Prime Minister Chandrashekar visited for darshan. “After his visit, a wall was built around the site, and a temple spire was constructed over the Shiva lingam. For many years, people have been demanding a large statue of Raavan, but due to a lack of financial support, no statue has been installed in the temple yet. Currently, the temple features statues of Shani Dev, the Shiva lingam as well as idols of Shiva-Parvati, Ganesh and Hanuman. However, images of Raavan have only been carved into the walls in small sizes,” he says.

Though history may not provide concrete evidence, according to mythological beliefs, Meerut is considered the in-laws’ house of Raavan. Meerut was established by Maya, who was a demon but also a skilled artisan. The name of Meerut is derived from ‘Maya Rashtra’. This is also mentioned in Meerut’s Gazetteer. At the request of the demons, Maya married his daughter Mandodari to Raavan.

Pundit Harish Chand Joshi, the priest of Billeshwar Nath temple, states that Mandodari had deep faith in Mahadev (Lord Shiva). “In ancient times, there was a settlement called Mayadant near the old tehsil, where Mandodari lived with her parents. The area, now known as Bhainsali Maidan, used to be a lake during that time. Mandodari would come to the temple after bathing in the lake nearby to worship Mahadev and perform water offerings. It was here that Mandodari first met Raavan,” he claims, continuing that pleased with Mandodari’s worship, Mahadev blessed her with the status of being the wife of the “great sage­—the mighty Raavan”.

Jai Prakash Babbe, the priest of Shri Durga Mandir located at Nauchandi Ground, explains that Mandodari was a devoted wife. “Once, King Dashrath shot an arrow to kill Raavan, but Mandodari used her divine power to protect him. In the end, it was her purity that redirected King Dashrath’s arrow back,” he says.

As per KK Sharma, associate professor of history at Ghaziabad’s MM College, lore and folk traditions are also considered as a part of history. “There is a popular lore that Mandodari was born in Meerut. She used to worship at Billeshwar Nath Mandir and also visited Mansa Devi Mandir in Surajkund for rituals. According to beliefs, Meerut was originally known as ‘Maya Rashtra’, which later became Meerut. In Maya Rashtra, Maya, the demon, ruled, and Mandodari was his daughter,” he says.

A lesser-known Kannada myth recognises Sita as Raavan’s long-lost daughter. The childless Raavan and his queen, Mandodari, sought help from a meditating beggar who was actually Shiva in disguise. He gave Raavan a mango, instructing him to feed the flesh to his wife and said they he should lick the seed. After a period of penance, Raavan ate the flesh and became pregnant. Nine days later, Sita was born following a powerful sneeze. In Kannada, Sita means ‘he sneezed’, while in Sanskrit, it refers to ‘the furrow’ where she is later discovered by her adoptive father, Janak.