Indore News: Ravana Market Booms Ahead Of Dussehra

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): With Dussehra around the corner, Indore’s festive spirit is on full display at the Ravana Market near Malwa Mill, where more than 30 shops have been set up, offering a vibrant collection of Ravana effigies in all shapes and sizes.

The effigies range from 1 foot to 51 feet tall and are priced between Rs 1,000 to Rs 51,000, depending on their size and design. This year, some artists are planning theme around modern-day evils, such as terrorism, the Sindoor operation, and the controversial Raja case.

“Earlier, everything was handmade—bamboo frames, painted faces, and stitched clothes. Now, with higher demand, we use readymade materials and printed designs for faster production,” said Jitendra Kunare, organiser of the Ravana market. “Some of the larger effigies require professional printers to get the designs just right.”

The market has become a bustling hub of activity, offering not only traditional Ravana figures but also symbolic representations of current issues.

“The market has become a bustling hub of activity, with an estimated turnover of Rs 40 to Rs 50 lakh this season, marking a steady rise in business compared to previous years,” Kunare said, adding that preparations began even before Shradh to meet the demand.

The artistic touch behind these effigies comes from skilled painters like Deepak Jatav, who shared that the cost of painting ranges from Rs 200 to Rs 4,000, depending on the level of detail.

“Every Ravana face has a story to tell—sometimes it’s not just the ten heads of mythology, but ten faces of today’s evils,” he said.

Where once artisans had to collect bamboo, paper, and cloth manually, today most materials are pre-made and sourced from suppliers, allowing for quicker assembly and higher production capacity.

As the festive season peaks, families, school groups, and event organisers continue to flock to the Ravana Market, eager to choose the perfect effigy to burn—not just in celebration of Lord Ram’s victory, but as a symbolic gesture to destroy the “Ravanas” of today’s world.