A 221-ft Ravana effigy went up in flames amid a fireworks display at Shalimar Ground in Sector 5, Panchkula, during the city's Dussehra celebrations. Organisers billed it as the tallest Ravana effigy in the country, and thousands of spectators gathered to watch it burn.
The effigy was the star attraction of the festival. Its giant fibreglass face measured 25 feet in length, and it wore an imposing 58-ft mukut, or crown. Together, these features gave the structure its massive scale.
What Went Into Building the 221-ft Ravana Effigy
This was not a simple construction. The effigy was made with around seven tonnes of iron, 5,000 metres of velvet cloth and nearly 700 bamboo poles. The entire structure took three-and-a-half months to prepare.
The cost matched the scale. The effigy alone was priced at Rs 40 lakh, while the festival overall cost around Rs 70 lakh.
A team of around 40 artisans built the giant Ravana. The team was led by Tejinder Chauhan, a former kabaddi player from Barara in Ambala district. The effigy was packed with 3,000 eco-friendly crackers, which added to the spectacle when it was set alight.
Why the Panchkula Dussehra Effigy Drew Thousands
Dussehra celebrations usually feature effigies of Ravana, but the size of this one set it apart. At 221 feet, it stood far above typical effigies burned across the country. Organisers claimed it was the tallest in the country, and the numbers behind its construction support the idea that this was an unusually large undertaking.
The combination of a towering structure, a giant fibreglass face, a 58-ft crown and thousands of crackers turned the burning into a full-scale show. The use of eco-friendly crackers also addressed a common concern around air pollution during festival season.
Our Take: A Spectacle Worth Watching, But Worth Questioning Too
To put it plainly, a 221-ft Ravana burning in a public ground is a sight few people would want to miss. The craftsmanship behind it deserves credit. Forty artisans worked for three-and-a-half months to build something that stood for a single evening. That is a lot of skill and effort packed into one event.
But the numbers also invite a fair question. Rs 40 lakh for an effigy that burns in minutes, and Rs 70 lakh for the festival overall, is a big spend. In our view, organisers who choose to go this large should be transparent about where the money comes from and how safety around such a massive structure is handled. A 221-ft effigy with seven tonnes of iron and 3,000 crackers is not a small fire. Crowd control and fire safety matter as much as the spectacle itself.
The eco-friendly crackers are a positive step. Still, readers should see this news for what it is: a record-setting celebration in Panchkula that drew a huge crowd, built by a team of artisans over months, and burned in one evening. It is impressive. It is also a reminder that bigger celebrations come with bigger responsibilities.
Sources & References
- Original news report on the 221-ft Ravana effigy at Shalimar Ground, Sector 5, Panchkula
