Ramnagar Ramlila

The traditional staging the Ramlila fair is held at the Ramnagar, Benares (fort of the Kashi Naresh) located at the banks of the river Ganges. It was started by the Kashi Naresh Maharaja Udit Narayan Singh in the year 1830. It got fame in all the areas of the Ramnagar and Varanasi as well as nearby area of the Varanasi. A large pilgrim crowd come here to see the fair and Ramleela . The Ramnagar Ramlila is apprehended for 31 days and famous for its fulsome sets, conversations and illustrious display.

The whole Ramnagar city serves as a set in order to represent the various scenes for Ashok Vatika, Panchavati, Janakpuri, Lanka etc. Local actors at the Ramnagar play a variety of characters of the Ramayanas. Some of the important roles are the Ram, Ravana, Janaki, Hanuman, Lakshman, Jatayu, Dashrath, and Janaka. Dussehra festival is started by the parade of the Kashi Naresh rides on a colorful elephant. Hundreds of the priests are there to narrate the Ramcharitmanas text.

At the closing stages of each episode daily, an arti is executed by the priest with the chants of Har Har Mahadev or Bolo! Raja Ramchandra ki Jai. The environment becomes full of sounds of the audiences there. After all an attractive jhanki is presented there in front of fort. On the last day of the Ramlila over a million pilgrims arrive there to see how Rama conquers the demon king Ravana.

India is a territory of the numerous festivals which held each year with cycle of the seasons. Fairs and festivals with different mythological interpretation in India make an integral part for the Indian Culture and Heritage.