Crowds in New Delhi celebrate Dussehra festival by burning giant effigies

Crowds gathered in New Delhi to mark Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami, as large effigies were burned with fireworks. Euronews reported that giant figures representing the demon king Ravana, his son Meghnad, and his brother Kumbhakarna were set ablaze during the public celebrations. [1]

Actors dressed as the god Rama and his brother performed the final moments of their battle against Ravana. According to Euronews, the prime minister of India attended the event at a ground in the city and shot an arrow from a bow into the festivities. [1]

Related reports from India Today, Cedar News, and Gallinews noted that celebrations in Delhi also included the burning of a 30-foot cockroach effigy alongside traditional figures. [4][5][6]

Vijayadashami is a major Hindu festival observed at the end of Durga Puja and Navaratri. It falls on the tenth day of the month of Ashvin in the Hindu lunisolar calendar, which corresponds to September or October in the Gregorian calendar. Euronews noted that nine days of rituals and fasts precede the main event. [1][7]