At Gandhi Maidan in the heart of Patna, the sky lit up on the evening of Tuesday, 20 October 2026 as the effigy of Ravana fell to flame — and the state's highest constitutional offices stood witness together. The Chief Minister's Office of Bihar confirmed that Governor Lieutenant General (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain, Nagaland Governor Nandkishore Yadav, and Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary attended the Shri Ramlila Mahotsav and Ravan Vadh Samaroh-2026.

Ravana burns at Gandhi Maidan

Gandhi Maidan — Patna's sprawling historic ground that has hosted everything from independence-era rallies to state funerals — transformed into a ceremonial stage for the pavan avsar (auspicious occasion) of Vijayadashami. The Ravan Vadh, literally the 'slaying of Ravana,' is the climactic moment of Dussehra festivities across North India: a towering effigy of the demon king is set ablaze, symbolising the triumph of righteousness over evil. The 2026 edition carried the official designation Shri Ramlila Mahotsav and Ravan Vadh Samaroh-2026, marking it as a formal state-facilitated cultural event.

Three dignitaries, one stage

The gathering brought together an unusual concentration of constitutional authority. Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain, Bihar's Governor, is a decorated former Indian Army officer whose career centred on counter-insurgency operations — a figure whose presence lent the event a distinct ceremonial gravity. Alongside him, Nandkishore Yadav, serving as Governor of Nagaland, represented an inter-state dimension to what is otherwise a Bihar state occasion. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary completed the triumvirate, grounding the event in the state government's active participation.

A convention as old as the republic

Governors and chief ministers attending Dussehra celebrations at central civic venues is a long-standing convention in Indian states — part public administration, part cultural custodianship. By staging the event at Gandhi Maidan, Bihar's government anchored this year's festivities in the most symbolically loaded public space the capital offers. The Ramlila performances that precede the effigy burning are themselves a living tradition of storytelling, drawing crowds across age groups and communities in Patna every year.

As the flames consumed Ravana's effigy at Gandhi Maidan on Tuesday night, Bihar's government sent an unambiguous signal: the state's most senior officials see themselves not just as administrators, but as participants in the culture they govern.