Tomorrow when most people rejoice at the burning of Ravana effigies, a few will mourn the day and offer special prayers for the demon king hailing him as a "revered and scholarly soul".
"After the effigy is completely burnt, we all take bath in our respective homes, dress ourselves in washed clothes, assemble in the temple and offer flowers and sweets to him," says Ajay Dave, a priest at the temple of Ravana here.
Members of the Dave Godha clan claim they are descendants of the demon king and pay obeisance to him at the temple they have specifically constructed for him.
"He was praised by all the sages and gods as a glorious king of his times," says Dave.
As the legend goes, Ravana was married to Mandodari, daughter of the king of Mandawar, known as Mandor now, 11 km from the city and situated on the bank of mythological river Saraswati.
Dave says some relatives of Ravana stayed back after the wedding.
"They always considered him a sublime, benevolent and mighty soul and revered him. This practice continued here with their stay," he says adding a temple was constructed in 2008 with Ravana as the deity.
For them, the demon king was a great scholar who had a vast knowledge of vedas, puranas and upanishads.
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