The idol of Ravan. Picture by Sanjay Arora

Jodhpur, Oct. 26: After Ram, the row has caught up with Ravan.

A hill shrine dedicated to the ten-headed Lanka king behind the famous Meherangarh Fort had to be closed and police deployed on Thursday after saffron groups protested against pran pratishtha, a ritual to infuse soul into the deity.

Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists objected to the worship and prevented authorities at the sprawling temple complex, which also houses other deities, from going ahead with the long-planned ritual. Sensing trouble, the district administration refused to allow the event, saying police permission hadn’t been taken.

Ajay Dave, the secretary of Amarnath Mahadev and Navgarh Mandir complex, which houses the Ravan shrine, said two idols of Ravan had been installed after renovation was completed recently.

Prayers can be offered only after the idols are infused with the “soul”, the purpose of the pratishtha rites.

The temple complex, spread over an acre, also houses the idols of Ganesh, Durga and Padmavati.

The idol shows Ravan offering prayers and water to Shiva, believed to be his favourite deity, in an unusual glimpse of the demon king’s religious side. Osian sculptor Chunnilal has carved the idols from special Jodhpur stones.

Temple officials failed to understand the reason behind the protests, as well as the administration’s decision to halt the ritual.

They said the authorities always knew about the idol. The curbs, they added, would hurt the sentiment of hundreds of devotees. “The idol has been in the complex for the past 18 years, so why is there so much fuss about Ravan now?” Dave asked.

Additional district magistrate Vinita Singhvi said all programmes at the temple had been stopped “for now”.