(From left) Chief minister Nitish Kumar, Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and health minister Mangal Pandey take aim during the Ravan Vadh celebrations on Friday. Manoj Kumar

The festive days of Durga Puja and Navratra came to an end with effigies of Ravan, Kumbhakaran and Meghnad going up in flames at the historic Gandhi Maidan on Friday in the presence of a host of dignitaries, including chief minister Nitish Kumar and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, as shouts of Jai Shri Ram rent the air.

Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, state health minister Mangal Pandey, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president Madan Mohan Jha and BJP MLAs Sanjeev Chaurasia and Arun Sinha were among the leaders present on the dais.

The gates of Gandhi Maidan were thrown open at 12noon and visitors were frisked before entry. There was heavy deployment of security cover all over the ground along with more than 150 magistrates.

Before the burning of the effigies, Patna district magistrate Kumar Ravi and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj carried out a last minute inspection of the ground. The 500 volunteers of the Sri Dussehra Committee Trust, the main organiser of the Ravan Vadh event, were equally active.

Men dressed up as Lord Ram and his brother Lakshman were worshiped by health minister Mangal Pandey and members of the Trust.

Nitish reached the venue at 4:15pm along with officials and was welcomed by Trust president Kamal Nopani.

Residents watch Kumbhakaran (left) and Ravan’s effigy being burnt at Gandhi Maidan. Manoj Kumar

The public address system was used continuously to monitor the crowd. The kingdom of Lanka and the Ashok Vatika were also recreated on the ground. First, an actor dressed as Lord Hanuman burnt Lanka, which was followed by the burning of the three main effigies.

Before burning the last effigy, of Ravan, Nitish and other dignitaries were given bows and arrows as a symbolic gesture to mark the burning of the demon king and the triumph of good over evil. The first effigy was burnt at 4.40pm. By 5pm, all the effigies were reduced to ash.

Firecrackers were set off for another 30 minutes to engage the crowd and avoid overcrowding of the exit gates gates. The most challenging job for the district administration, to control the crowd as it started dispersing from the ground, went off without a hitch.

In 2013, a stampede at the event had killed 33 persons.

Soon after the burning of the effigies all the important guests including Nitish left the premises. After that the 13 gates of Gandhi Maidan were kept wide open for the public to leave the ground peacefully.

Friday also marked immersion of Durga idols, which started at several places in the state capital including Bhadra Ghat and Gai Ghat. The district administration has set Saturday as the deadline to complete the immersion of idols across Patna. A total of 1,306 licences were issued for Puja pandals.

Till next year: Women wish each other with sindoor during Vijaya Dashami celebrations at Gulzarbagh in Patna City on Friday. Sachin