Tejendra Chauhan, hailing from the Barara block of Ambala—who holds the record for creating the country’s tallest Ravana effigy—is currently constructing Ravana effigies for Delhi (the national capital), Panchkula, and Dehradun.
Although Chauhan has not traveled to Kota, Rajasthan, with his team of artisans this time, work on the Ravana effigies at the three aforementioned locations has been underway for three and a half months.
Local Ramlila committees will incur a total expenditure of ₹1.10 crore on these three effigies. Chauhan is currently focused on this project, and the effigies will be erected before Dussehra.
It is worth noting that the journey which began in Barara reached a milestone in 2017 when Chauhan constructed a 210-foot-tall Ravana effigy there.
Due to space constraints, the project was shifted to Panchkula, where a 221-foot effigy was built. Now, effigies of this same height are being prepared for Delhi and Panchkula, while the effigy for Dehradun is being built to a height of 181 feet. A total of 20.5 tonnes of iron will be used for the three effigies.
Chauhan stated that 20.50 tonnes of iron will be utilized across the effigies being built at the three locations; the quantity is determined by the height of the structures.
Seven tonnes of iron are being used for each of the effigies being prepared for Delhi and Panchkula. Similarly, 6.5 tonnes of iron will be used for the Ravana effigy being constructed in Dehradun. Additionally, eco-friendly fireworks worth two lakh rupees will be fitted into each effigy. Artisans from Barara are engaged in the construction.
Artisans from Ambala are working on these three effigies. Chauhan leads a team from Barara; a team of forty artisans is required to build a single effigy, meaning a total of 120 artisans are involved in constructing all three.
Notably, cranes are required to erect these effigies once they are built. They are constructed in sections; each part is prepared separately and assembled later. These effigies are visible from several kilometers away and rank among the largest Ravana effigies made in the country.
Here is the breakdown of the heights:
For the 221-foot-tall Ravana effigy, the individual components have specific heights: a 58-foot crown, a 25-foot face, an 8-foot neck, a 90-foot torso, 40-foot legs, 10-foot-high shoes (40 feet in length), and a 50-foot sword held in hand.
Similarly, for the 181-foot-tall Ravana effigy, the dimensions are: a 45-foot crown, a 20-foot face, a 6-foot neck, an 80-foot torso, 32-foot legs, shoes that are 6 feet high and 36 feet long, and a 35-foot sword.
