Rama's arrow gets under Ravan's skin

The mock battle between Ram and Ravan turned very real at a Ramlila stage in Bihar's Dehri-on-sone when an arrow shot by the prince of Ayodhya actually hit the king of Lanka.

The demon king, true to his tradition, reacted violently. He let out a volley of abuses as soon as the arrow, meant to fly by his side, pierced his body.

This, in turn, spurred the devout spectators into action. They rushed onto the stage and attacked the foul-mouthed villain.

The drama reached its climax when the injured Ravan, with an irate mob hot on his heels, flew from the site.

The mob finally had the satisfaction of fixing the heretic as Dassera came to a close with the effigy of the 10-headed monster going up in flames.

UNI