People across the country today celebrated Dussehra with traditional burning of effigies of Ravan, his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhakaran, which marks the victory of good over evil, even as effigies symbolising terrorism and terrorists were also put to flames.
With security personnel keeping a hawk-eye vigil, the festivities passed off peacefully across the country as crowds burst into cheers with fire crackers-stuffed effigies crackling in splendour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing people on the occasion in Lucknow said no one should feel they are safe from terrorism as it has no boundary or morality.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were present at the Delhi event at Ramlila Maidan.
At many places, particularly in Punjab's Amritsar and Ludhiana, effigies symbolising 'terrorism' and 'Pakistan' were also burnt along side those of Hafiz Saeed.
In Indore, however, a large number of people worshipped Ravan and celebrated the day as 'Ravan Moksha Diwas' as part of their 46-year-long tradition and appealed people not to burn effigies of the 'Dashanana'.
Mahesh Gauhar, president of an outfit of Ravana followers in Indore, Jai Lankesh Mitra Mandal, told PTI, "Ravans was a great intellectual and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and therefore, the outfit appeals to the people to stop burning his effigies on the occasion of Dusshera."
In Karnataka, curtains came down on the festivities with an impressive 'Jambo Savari' (procession of caparisoned elephants) with thousands of people watching amidst rains.
Several functions were organised in Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir state and effigies were set on fire by actors dressed as Lord Rama and Lakhshmana.
The main functions were held in Parade ground and the Dussehra ground in Gandhinagar.
Traditional fervour marked Dussehra celebrations in Maharashtra as markets wore festive look with people dressed in traditional attires shopped for puja and decorative items.
In Rajasthan, fairs were held and effigies burnt in public grounds in Mansarover, Adarsh nagar, sanganer, Vidhyadhar nagar and other places to mark the ocassion.
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