Key Points
- The All India Youth Brahmin Samaj and Mahakal Sena have initiated a protest against the practice of Ravana Dahan in Ujjain.
- Posters have been put up at various locations, including near the Mahakal temple, calling for an end to the tradition.
- The groups argue that Ravana Dahan is not mentioned in the Ramayana or other historical texts and has become a form of political entertainment.
- They contend that Ravana, despite his flaws, was a learned Brahmin and a great devotee of Lord Shiva, and burning his effigy is an insult to his knowledge and to the Brahmin community.
- An appeal has been made specifically to Brahmins to boycott such events.
Ujjain: A controversy has erupted in the city of Ujjain ahead of the Dussehra festival, as Brahmin groups have launched a campaign to oppose the tradition of Ravana Dahan (the burning of Ravana’s effigy). The All India Youth Brahmin Samaj and the Mahakal Sena have put up posters across the city, urging people, especially Brahmins, not to participate in the events, arguing that the practice is disrespectful and has no basis in Hindu scriptures.
The protest gained momentum after a meeting of the All India Youth Brahmin Samaj at the Parshuram Temple in Ujjain, where a decision was made to oppose Ravana Dahan nationwide. Mahesh Pujari, the patron of the Mahakal Sena and a priest at the Mahakal Temple, stated that the tradition lacks scriptural sanction. He argued that what began as a symbol of the victory of good over evil has now devolved into a spectacle for entertainment and political mileage.
The central arguments of the opposing groups are:
- Lack of Scriptural Basis: They claim that there is no mention of the public burning of Ravana’s effigy in the Ramayana or other sacred texts.
- Respect for a Scholar: They emphasize that Ravana was a knowledgeable and devout Brahmin. Continuously burning his effigy is seen as an insult to his scholarship and lineage.
- Politicization of Tradition: The groups allege that the event has lost its religious significance and is now used by political figures for self-promotion.
- Character Qualification: Pujari has stated that only those who truly embody the virtues and character of Lord Ram should have the moral authority to burn an effigy of Ravana.
Public Reaction and Justification
The campaign has sparked a debate within the city. When asked why the opposition is surfacing now after the tradition has been practiced for so long, proponents of the protest, like Rajesh Goswami, explained that it is due to a “Brahmin awakening.” They feel that the community is becoming more conscious of what they perceive as a disrespectful practice.
The groups have also posed eight questions to the committees that organize Ravana Dahan events, demanding scriptural justification for the practice and have called for a ban if satisfactory answers are not provided. This is not the first time such a demand has been made; last year, a letter was also sent to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, requesting a ban on the tradition.
As the city prepares for Dussehra on October 2, this controversy has added a new dimension to the festivities, turning a widely accepted tradition into a subject of local debate and religious introspection.
