On Dussehra eve, hymns in praise of Ravan at a Mathura temple

Amidst chanting of Vedic hymns, hundreds of devotees today paid obeisance to Lord Shiva as well as Ravan, at a Shiva temple in Laxmi Nagar area here.
The devotees -- mostly from Saraswat community -- first paid obeisance to Lord Shiva and then worshipped Ravan.
Presiding over the proccedings was the founder of 'Lankesh Bhakta Mandal', Omveer Saraswat, who insisted that Ravana was "a charitable man with divine quality".
"Only a charitable person with divine quality would bless victory of his opponent as Lord Ravan did while acting as priest of Lord Ram, duringa religious ceremony which was performed prior to the construction of the bridge on sea, leading to Sri Lanka," Saraswat claimed.

"Lord Ram not only handed over the corpse of Ravan to Vibhishan with full honours, for performing his last rites, but he had ensured that the divine soul of Ravan was not belittled any way," he said.
Buring the effigy of such a "chritable" man, year in, year out, was therefore an insult, Saraswat said.
The devotees also pledged to collect funds for the construction of a Ravan temple on the banks of Yamuna river.
Saraswat had, a few days back, petitioned the president and the prime minister seeking a ban on the burning of Ravana effigies on Dussehra, claiming Ravan, the king of Lanka in the epic Ramayana, was a Saraswat Brahmin, and the burning of his effigies (Ravana Dahan) was an "insult" to Saraswat Brahmins and many others who worshipped him.