How to make Ravan with Bamboo

The Dussehra is the festival of enthusiasm and joy. This festival is celebrated from ancient to modern periods. The festival is initiate due to the victory of LORD RAMA against the Srilankan king LORD RAVANA. The war began because Lankan king stole Ayudha queen and make her prisoned.

Both sides have their Destructive weapons: LAXMAN JI, HANUMAN JI, SHUGRIVE, NAL NEEL, ANGADH, etc.(Behind Lord Rama ) and KUMBH KARAN, INDRAJEET, AHIRAVAN, KHARA, etc. (Behind Lord Ravana)

I will discuss both how to make an effigy of Ravan with the cardboard and bamboo at home simultaneously but before that take one thing in mind that, it is very easy to make an effigy of Ravan and you just require to go through these simple steps.

Picking of perfect material plays a vital role in the lean and better output. So, here I will describe what is the material and what should be the quality of the material is required to build it perfectly.

1. Bamboo/Cardboard

Bamboo should be dry and hollow from inside, it will easy to slice dry bamboo as compared to a wet one. If you are thinking to make it from cardboard then keep one thing in mind it should also be dry and thick in width but don't pick bulky one otherwise it will create a problem at the time of firing.

2. Strong Thread

The thread should be strong otherwise, it will break after a few days.

3. Knife

It should not be an ordinary knife otherwise, you will not able to slice bamboo and other material while making.

      

4. Hammer

You could use an ordinary hammer for it.

5. Pasting Gum

It is a special type of gum which is you by all the makers because it is cheap and easy we can make it in just a short period of time in an ample amount. Take wheat flour and mix it with hot water  (Don't mix it with cold water otherwise, you have to deal with big lumps of the wheat flour in the mixture) and after stirring, place the mixture on the stove and wait till it starts changing color and starts becoming viscous) 

6. Glazed Papers

Colour of the glazed paper depends on you, choose your imagination to fill you, Ravan.

7. News Papers

You required plenty of newspapers at the time of making.

8. Dirty Clothes

You require cloth to cover the Ravan stomach because it will increase the sound of the burning of Ravan and also provide strength to it.

I will tell you the dimension to make 12 feet Ravan and if you are will make it bigger or smaller, do a ratio of my dimension you will find your answer. If you are planning to make it of cardboard then keep in mind it will difficult for you to make it bigger because cardboard doesn't sustain much load.

I am sharing an image of dimension, but make it clear it depends on experience if you are making it the first time then check the effigy again and again by doing assembling of it otherwise ratio would be improper.

Dimension Of Effigy Of Ravan

STEP 1

1. Slice the bamboo approx. 6 feet for the stomach and it should be at least 24 in number and make it clear that if the bamboo thickness is large then make it slice thinner otherwise, effigy has chances to become bulky.

2. Slice the bamboo approx. 2.5 feet in the mouth and it should be at least 16 in number.

3. Slice the bamboo approx. 1.2 feet for the neck of Ravan and it should be at least 8 in number.

4. Slice the bamboo approx. 2.5 feet for the legs and it should be at least 16 in number for both legs.

5. Slice the bamboo approx. 2.2 feet for the hands and it should be at least 6 in number for one hand.

After doing this, the next step is to make rings of bamboo.

4 for Stomach.

2*2 for Legs.

3*2 for Hands.

2 for Neck.

2 for Mouth.

STEP 2

Start making frames of rings and bamboo with the help of thread and you can also you steel flexible wire at the high load area.

A Thumb rule of making a hand circle is to make circles with the help of steel because easy to make the circle in comparison to bamboo.

After making the above bamboo frame like this you have to slice some arc of bamboo which will be strong and be sure that on this slice only the whole weight of the Ravan will stay at the time of assembly on the ground.

Bamboo A → 1*2 length should be greater than the bottom diameter of the stomach.

Bamboo B → 1*2 length should be greater them the most top diameter of the stomach.

Bamboo C → 1*2 length should be such that you can grip the stomach diagonally.

Bamboo D → 1*2 length should be such that you can grip the cross frame in a stomach. 

STEP 3

Front & Side view of the bamboo frame of the face

After finishing the frames of the Ravan, you have to do covering of the frames with the help of newspapers. The covering should be done a minimum 3 times, you can also cover you, Ravan, with cloth but after 3rd covering, it helps to make Ravan frame strongest and at the time of burning good sound will produce due to eco. 

STEP 4

Paste glaze paper after finishing the final coat on the surface. It all depends on your creativity how you do your best.

STEP 5

It is the last step and also the toughest one because many effigies were broken in doing this step due to the unawareness of the procedure, but do not panic I will help you in this step.

1. Firstly if you are making small Ravan then you can easily handle it but if it is big in size you have to first assemble it all parts in its recumbent posture and then you have to make it in standing posture.
2. After lying all the parts you have to place your effigy neck and face on the Bamboo A of the stomach which I already mentioned, make sure that knot will not open or break at the time of burning otherwise your whole face will drop from your stomach. To do the best tie the knot with the steel wire.
3. After tieing knot you have to cut a bamboo of length (Diameter of Ravan Chest + Full length of the one Ravan hand) and have to position in such a way it will cross the neck from both the side and the also pass the diameter of the stomach, it will provide more strength and also support to your effigy hands.
4. Drill the hole into the earth and fix one bamboo in each two-hole and now position your effigy legs around the bamboo and tie the knot with the Bamboo B as already.