As the country gets ready to celebrate Dussehra in three days by burning effigies of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran, a nondescript village barely 50 km from the Capital would mourn the demon king’s death that day.

Residents of Bisrakh in Greater Noida claim Ravan was born here — and a registered body called the Kaushikeshwar Jyotirlingam Ravana Temple Society has already laid the foundation for a temple being built for the Lanka king.

The society has brought a five-and-half feet idol of “Lord Ravan” from Jaipur for Rs 1.5 lakh and a 42-foot Shivling for the temple where both Ravan and Shiva will be worshipped together, says Anil Kaushik, member of the society building the temple.

Kaushik put the estimated cost of constructing the temple at Rs 2 crore.

Khajan Singh, caretaker of the Ravan idol in the under-construction temple, says the village derived its name from Ravan’s father Vishrava. Local lore has it that Vishrava built a Shiva temple nearby, and Ravan, a devotee of Shiva, regularly offered prayers there before he went to conquer “all territories that came in his way”, as per the instruction of his mother Kaikesi.

“Ravan was a man of character, unlike other gods and goddesses,” Kaushik claims. “Ravan did not harm Sita even after abducting her — she was pure when she returned to Lord Ram. He had abducted Sita only to teach a lesson to Ram and Laxman for insulting his sister Surpanakha, as any brother would do. The Vedas also sing praises of Ravan for being the greatest disciple of Lord Shiva — he was an extremely learned man.”

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