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Kanpur’s Dashanan Temple Opens Only on Dussehra to Worship Ravana
While India burns Ravana’s effigies, Kanpur’s 1868-built Dashanan Temple opens just once a year on Dussehra to worship him. Here’s why, and where else Ravana is revered.
Key Highlights
- Once-a-year opening: The Dashanan Temple in Kanpur opens only on Vijayadashami and stays shut the other 364 days.
- Built in 1868: The shrine was built by Maharaj Guru Prasad Shukla, according to the temple priest.
- Morning rituals: Ravana’s idol is bathed with milk and holy water, followed by prayers and aarti.
- Why Ravana: Devotees honour him as a learned scholar, a capable ruler and a devoted follower of Lord Shiva.
- Not the only one: In Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district, a village named Ravan worships him as ‘Ravan Baba’.
Across India, Vijayadashami ends with towering Ravana effigies going up in flames. But in Kanpur, the day begins with prayers to the very same ten-headed king. The Dashanan Temple, located inside the Kailash Temple complex in the city’s Shiwala area, opens its doors only once a year, on Dussehra, and remains closed for the other 364 days.
A Tradition That Dates Back to 1868
Speaking to IANS, temple priest Pandit Ram Bajpai said, “The shrine was built in 1868 by Maharaj Guru Prasad Shukla. On Dussehra, the temple doors are opened in the morning, following which the idol of Ravana is ceremonially bathed with milk and holy water. The rituals are then performed according to traditional customs, followed by prayers and aarti.”
Devotees arrive through the day with flowers and oil lamps to seek blessings before the doors close again for another year.
