A tall effigy of Ravana once stood in the cold desert air of Quetta, Balochistan. Hard to imagine now, but yes – Ravana burned here. In what is today Pakistan, Dussehra was part of community life a century ago.
In the 1920s and 1930s, the burning of Ravana’s effigies was a regular ritual in the grounds of Quetta (current capital of Balochistan).
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During this period, when the British treated the province as a buffer zone against Afghans and Persians, the Hindu community of the region continued to observe the sacred rituals.
Hindus lived across Kalat, Kharan, Las Bela, and Makran (Parts of Balochistan). The people of the Hindu community came together to mark Dussehra, building effigies, staging plays, and praying in temples.
British records include old photographs that reveal scenes of the region’s past in the west, continuing to surprise many today.
A rare visual record of these celebrations comes from a photograph taken in 1931 by Private A. Baird of the Royal Scots, stationed in Quetta with the 2nd Battalion.
Serving in the Signal Section, Bai
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