While the entire country celebrated Dussehra, a festival of victory of goodness over evil with the burning of effigies of Ravan, Kumbh Karan and Megh Naad, in Payal, a sleepy town near Khanna, the gathering worshipped the effigies of Ravan.
Some people here are not ready to accept Ravan as a symbol of evil as they worship the lanka king as a genius, a God of prosperity, wealth and health. In Payal, the effigy of Ravan was never burnt.
The story of worship of Ravan started 170 years back, when one Birbal Dass Dubey constructed a concrete 25 feet high statue of Ravan in 1839. Parmod Raj Dubey,Vinod Raj Dubey and Akhil Parsad Raj Dubey, the great grandsons of Birbal Dubey recalled that their forefathers revealed that one of their forefathers who depressed as he was issueless even after two marriages. One day he left home in a suicidal mood but on the way a sadhu met him and advised him to go for Ravan Puja. From that day, their forefather Birbal Dubey started the Puja of Ravan and after some time, he was blessed with four sons. The great grand sons revealed that presently their family tree is spreading in Patiala, Pathankot and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.
One of the descendants, Akhil Parsad who retired as Inspector in Railway Police and resides in Patiala, revealed that few years back some residents of Payal made an attempt to break the century old Ravan statue but they failed and then they gave it a new look with help from residents of Payal.
locals say that the centuries old Ravan statue is a symbol of prosperity and development of Payal area. It is pertinent to mention that former chief minister of Punjab, Beant Singh hailed from this area.