A clan in Rajasthan mourns demon-king Ravana’s death

Jodhpur: A clan here mourned the death of Ravana Tueday when the people in the country burnt his effigies celebrating victory of good over evil.

Dave Godha clan claims to be the descendants of Ravana and remembers him as a "man of great culture and erudition".

"We wait until the effigies are completely burnt. We all take bath, put in clean clothes and assemble in a temple and offer special prayers to him (Ravana) amid religious chanting invoking Ravana," priest Ajay Dave said.

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As the legend goes, Ravana was married to Mandodari, daughter of the king of Mandawar (Mandore), a picturesque garden located some 11 km from here.

Dave claimed that some of the relatives of Ravana stayed put in Jodhpur after the marriage.

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"They (relatives) always considered him a sublime, benevolent and mighty soul and revered him. And the practice still goes on," he said.

Dave said they would perform the last rites of Ravana at home until 2007 and later in 2008 built a temple and installed in it the statue of Ravana.

"Since then, we are performing all the rituals at this temple," he said.

Dave's father Kamlesh said Ravana for them is a "great scholar of his time with prolific knowledge of Vedas, Puranas and Upnishadas and an avid devotee of lord Shiva".

"We revere him for his virtues, which the rest of the world does not recognise. Barring the abduction of Sita, one cannot find a single blot on his character and that is why he was praised by all the sages and gods as a glorious king of his times," Dave said.