Patna's Gandhi Maidan lit up on Tuesday night, October 20, as a 90-foot Ravan went up in flames in front of a sea of people on Vijayadashami. Alongside it burned an 85-foot Meghnad and an 80-foot Kumbhakarna, with sparks from Ravan's eyes, fire from its mouth and coloured smoke from its ears and shoulders turning the city's most famous ground into a giant light show.
The sight of thousands of phone flashlights raised in the dark as the effigies burned made Patna's Ravan Dahan one of the standout Dussehra visuals from Bihar this year.
Taller than ever: why this year's Ravan stood out
The Ravan Dahan at Gandhi Maidan has been organised for years by the Patna Dussehra Trust Committee, and the height of the main effigy has become something of a yearly talking point. Last year's Ravan stood at 80 feet. This time it was 90.
"We have been increasing the height by 5 feet each year, and this time, we have added 10 feet," committee chairman Kamal Nopani said ahead of the event. He added that the committee had "arranged for eco-friendly fireworks to minimise pollution" – a response to growing concern about air quality during the festive season.
Who was there
Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain and Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary inaugurated the programme and performed the traditional ritual of shooting symbolic arrows at the effigies before they were set alight. Organisers had also invited Nagaland Governor Nand Kishore Yadav, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Choudhary, MPs and ministers.
Lakhs of people – families with small children and elderly visitors among them – packed the ground through the evening. Chants of "Jai Shri Ram" rose as the Ravan effigy caught fire, while a light-and-sound show, complete with a roaring sound effect, added drama to the final moments.
Patna Ravan Dahan 2026: key facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | Tuesday, October 20, 2026 (Vijayadashami) |
| Venue | Gandhi Maidan, Patna |
| Organiser | Patna Dussehra Trust Committee |
| Ravan effigy | 90 feet (80 feet last year) |
| Meghnad effigy | 85 feet |
| Kumbhakarna effigy | 80 feet |
| Chief guests | Governor Syed Ata Hasnain, CM Samrat Choudhary |
| Security | Police and magistrates at all 14 gates; 100+ CCTV cameras |
| Fireworks | Eco-friendly, to reduce pollution |
More than just the burning
This year's celebrations came with several new touches. The "Lanka" set built for the Lanka Dahan was a double-storey structure this year, and 35 Ramlila troupes from Delhi travelled to Patna to perform. A grand procession set out from Nagababa Thakurbari in the evening and wound its way to Gandhi Maidan ahead of the main event.
The organisers also set aside a separate seating area for women, a step aimed at making the crowded event more comfortable for families.
How the crowd was managed
With crowds of this size, safety was a major focus. The Patna district administration, police and the trust committee worked together on arrangements. Police personnel and magistrates were posted at every one of the ground's 14 gates, and more than 100 CCTV cameras tracked crowd movement around the maidan – a reminder of how seriously authorities now take crowd control at big festive gatherings after recent tragedies elsewhere in the country.
Dussehra across India: the viral moments
Patna was not alone in going big. In Lucknow, a 75-foot Ravan with moving mechanical parts drew attention at the Ramlila grounds, while Ravan Dahan videos from Varanasi and from Ludhiana's Daresi Road ground – where Union Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to attend – also circulated widely. On social media, creative and quirky home-made effigies and backstage clips from Ramlila performances kept the festive mood going late into the night.
What it means for Patna
For Patna, the Gandhi Maidan Ravan Dahan is more than a ritual – it is one of the city's biggest public gatherings of the year, and the ever-taller effigy has turned it into a point of local pride. With the effigy growing again this year, many visitors will already be wondering whether next year's Ravan will cross the 100-foot mark. Whatever the height, the message of Vijayadashami stays the same: the victory of good over evil.
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