Haryana's Sirsa Spends ₹3 Lakh on Towering Dussehra Effigies
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Festive excitement has reached a crescendo across Haryana as artisans and cultural organizations in Sirsa ramp up grand preparations for the Vijayadashami celebrations scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, 2026. This year, the city's festive horizon will be dominated by towering effigies of the demon king Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Meghnad reaching heights of up to 80 feet, with manufacturing costs touching nearly ₹3 lakh. Two premier socio-cultural bodies—the Shrirama Club and the Shri Vishnu Club—are spearheading the large-scale festivities across major public grounds, drawing thousands of eager spectators from across the district as nightly Ramlila performances set a vibrant theatrical stage ahead of the ceremonial burning.
Shrirama Club Crafts 60-Foot Effigies Featuring Six-Foot Swords and Moustaches
In the heart of the city, preparations led by the Shrirama Club are nearing their final stage at Nehru Park:
Dual Effigy Installation: The club is focusing its efforts on crafting towering 60-foot effigies representing Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna near Sawan Public School.
Artistic Highlights: Master artisan Johnny Kumar noted that this year's Ravana effigy features dramatic visual elements, including a six-foot-long curved steel-look sword and a six-foot-wide stylized moustache designed to give the demon king a fierce presence.
Ground Transition Timeline: The massive structures are receiving their finishing coats of paint and decorative foil; both will be shifted to the primary event ground two days ahead of the main event to allow early firecracker rigging before the grand burning on the evening of October 20.
Shri Vishnu Club Scales Up: 80-Foot Colossus Costing ₹3 Lakh at CDLU Ground
Setting an even larger benchmark, the Shri Vishnu Club is assembling a three-piece effigy ensemble opposite Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU):
Trio of Demon Royalty: The club is constructing effigies for the full demonic trio—an 80-foot-tall Ravana alongside equally massive forms of Kumbhakarna and Meghnad.
Months of Artisanal Labor: Artisan Bhagatram, operating from the Mela Ground area, revealed that his family workshop has been laboring continuously for over two months to shape the complex bamboo ribbing and paper mache skins.
Heavy Raw Material Investment: Crafting the three giants has consumed over seven quintals of high-grade paper, cardboard, and seasoned bamboo scaffolding, taking the total production budget to approximately ₹3 lakh.
Striking Visual Proportions: The towering 80-foot Ravana features sweeping decorative elements, including an expansive sword-shaped moustache pattern intended to serve as the chief photographic focal point of the CDLU Dussehra Ground.
Ramlila Performances Draw Massive Crowds Across Sirsa's Cultural Hubs
The buildup to the grand effigy burning is anchored by spirited community Ramlila stagings running each evening:
Multiple Theatrical Venues: The city's drama circuit has come alive with parallel Ramlila productions, including the Shrirama Club's daily enactments at Nehru Park, the Shri Vishnu Club's stage presentations, and the Siyaram Club's crowded theatrical performances at Trade Tower Market.
Large Nightly Turnouts: Hundreds of families, young children, and devotees are converging across these public auditoriums and open-air pandals every evening to witness episodes from Lord Rama's life, creating an electric cultural atmosphere throughout the festive week leading up to Vijayadashami.
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