Ravana Dahan, the ceremonial burning of Ravana's effigy, is one of the most spectacular traditions associated with Dusshera in India. Grand public celebrations take place at many locations.
From his extraordinary scholarship to his musical talents and complex family history, several fascinating traditions surround the legendary king of Lanka.
Artisans across India are putting the finishing touches on towering effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad ahead of the Dussehra festival. From Nagpur, Bhopal and Kanpur to Patna, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Jammu, craftspeople were seen preparing, displaying and selling the effigies in the days leading up to Vijayadashami. The figures will be burnt on the festival's final day, symbolising the victory of good over evil.
Hoardings depicting Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, US entrepreneur Elon Musk and others as the 10 heads of Ravana were put up at several locations in Lucknow on Sunday ahead of Dussehra.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his Punjab visit, urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to transfer drug-related death investigations in Sangrur and Batala to the CBI, following Mann's decision to hand over anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota's murder case to the central agency. Shah met families affected by drug-related incidents and pledged to make Punjab drug-free by December 31, 2029, calling for collective action against the menace.
Indian sports personalities, including Sachin Tendulkar, PV Sindhu, and Gautam Gambhir, took to social media to extend their heartfelt Dussehra wishes to fans, emphasising the festival's message of the triumph of good over evil.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Vice President C P Radhakrishnan attended Dussehra celebrations in New Delhi on Tuesday. Effigies of Ravan, Kumbhkaran, and Meghnath were burnt at various Ramleela grounds, with dignitaries delivering messages on truth, righteousness, and fighting social evils. One committee also burnt a cockroach effigy to symbolise filth, leading to a complaint from AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj.
A Ramlila committee in Pitampura, Delhi, will burn a 30-foot-tall "cockroach" effigy this year, alongside those of Ravan, Kumbhkaran, and Meghnad. The committee states this symbolises "filth and dirt" and supports the "Swachh Bharat" and "Swachh Delhi" campaigns. This decision comes amidst protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in the capital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed BRICS leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the 18th BRICS summit in Bharat Mandapam. The leaders were photographed against the backdrop of Tamil Nadu's iconic Ramanathaswamy temple, a significant Hindu pilgrimage site. Modi explained the temple's importance to President Xi, highlighting its unique status as a Char Dham and Jyotirlinga shrine, and its historical and religious significance linked to Lord Ram.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday met the families of individuals who lost their lives due to drug-related issues in Punjab, saying he had never felt so deeply saddened in life as he did while meeting them and also called out the AAP government for failing to curb the menace.
Yami Gautam turns Nayyi Navelli into a colourful supernatural ride, but the film's lavish trailer launch may have been even more dramatic than its trailer.
From superheroes and aliens to witches, ghosts and shape-shifting mutants, these 10 Bollywood women prove that supernatural powers come in all shades of mischief, menace and magic.
The magnificent Kailasa temple stands as a testament to ancient Indian engineering and artistic brilliance, carved meticulously from a single mountain.
When the effigies finally go up in flames, the spectacle is more than just entertainment, it is a collective reaffirmation of faith, morality, and the age-old belief that righteousness will always prevail.
From Ravana's divine weapon to the mystery around Parashurama, the Ramayana trailer hides several fascinating details in plain sight.
We are just hours away from the trailer launch of Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana.
Jai Jai Ram may not have the lyrical punch of A R Rahman's earlier devotional tracks, but Shreya Ghoshal and Arijit Singh's vocals give this Ramayana anthem the spiritual grandeur it needs.
The highly anticipated trailer for Nitesh Tiwari's epic Ramayana, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, and Yash, has been postponed from its scheduled July 24 release.
From tender romances to deeply conflicted relationships, these 10 films showcase Mammootty's softer, more vulnerable side at its most memorable.
'It is better not to compare Ramayana with Adipurush. There should be no shame in admitting that Adipurush couldn't meet expectations. People who are associated with the film made it with a lot of effort, but it was a failed attempt.'
Long before Alpha, Bollywood had been retelling the Ramayana in modern settings, sometimes subtly and sometimes not so subtly.
Unexpected rains across North India have devastated the Ravana effigy market, leaving artisans facing significant financial losses as their creations are damaged beyond repair. They appeal for government assistance.
From Arun Govil and Shobana to Vivek Oberoi and Kajal Aggarwal, meet the sprawling supporting cast bringing Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana to life.
There is definitely much more to the mythical king than his ten heads and his abduction of Sita.
Ramayana, which is being mounted as a two-part cinematic event, will soar. The music, visuals, technical finesse and the promise of strong performances not just tease a film, it teases a grand experience, notes Mayur Sanap.
Actor Aadinath Kothare, set to appear as Bharat in Nitesh Tiwari's highly anticipated Ramayana, believes the film is a game-changer for Indian cinema on the global stage.
As Vijay prepares for his next innings as chief minister of Tamil Nadu, he would do well to learn from the life lessons of NTR.
Shigmotsav, Goa's spring festival, highlights its traditions, celebrations, and regional variations.
'To play a God, you've to have a good, pure soul.'
The ancient Shiv Mandir is located at Bisrakh village, believed to be the birthplace of Ravana, the antagonist to the hero of Lord Ram in the epic Ramayana.
The teaser ends with a bang, unveiling a polished avatar of Yash that Hindi audiences may not have seen before.
Ranbir Kapoor: 'I'm working very hard for two-three years on the movies that I'm doing.'
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asserted that Uttar Pradesh enjoys a clean environment, unlike Delhi, which he likened to a 'gas chamber' due to its pollution levels.
All of a sudden, the Ramayana is a much sought-after source for epic movie makers.
These traditions have survived centuries, even as India has changed dramatically around them.
Dussehra festivities returned to their usual grandeur after two years of muted celebrations as Covid fears subsided and people came out in their millions to watch the burning of Ravana effigies across the country on Wednesday to mark the victory of good over evil.
Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya is facing criticism for his crass comments regarding the water crisis in Indore. This is the latest in a series of controversial remarks made by the veteran politician.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has strongly protested about the controversial model-actress Poonam Pandey portraying Ravana's wife Mandodari in Delhi's UNESCO-endorsed Ram Leela.
Glimpses of Prime Minister Narendra Modi participating in the Durga Puja celebrations at Chittaranjan Park in New Delhi on the occasion of Maha Ashtami on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said local residents must be given priority in jobs at the upcoming Vadhavan Port project in Palghar district, and warned that any attempts to deprive them of their 'rightful employment' at the mega facility would not be tolerated.
