1 2 Prayagraj: This Dussehera , the Pajawa Ramlila committee will be using a giant 8-ft tall white elephant statue- Airavat-mounted on a special vehicle, during the Ram Baarat procession to be taken out in Sangam city on Oct 5. This special Airavat elephant is being made for Goddess Sita. With this, the Pajawa Ramlila committee now has two special fibre and iron-made elephants to be used for Ram Dal and Ram Barat processions.
Authorities claim that the making of the new elephant will not only check the misuse of animals in religious events but also attract more spectators. Last year, the authorities of Pajawa Ramlila had built a giant elephant-Gajraj- for the processions. "The new elephant statue , weighing around 1.
5 quintals and made of iron and fibre, will be carrying idols of deities on a special platform on its back during the Ram Barat procession. Since the use of animals was prohibited in processions, authorities have stuck to the idea of arranging fibre elephants to ensure the safety of spectators," said Rajesh Mehrotra, convenor of the Pajawa Ramlila committee. Meanwhile, Sachin Kumar Gupta, director of Pajawa Ramlila, told TOI, "The Ramlila will start on Oct 3 and the last episode will be staged on Oct 10.
The Ram Dal processions will be taken out on Oct 11 and 12." "This time, we have also made a special stage ‘Raj Mahal'. A whopping amount of around Rs 5 lakh was spent to construct it," he added.
This L-shaped Raj Mahal will be illuminated during the occasion, w.