Jaipur: Envisioned by former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1961, Jaipur’s Ravindra Manch stands today as a fading cultural landmark, its audience base eroded by govt neglect, ageing facilities and stronger competition from Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK), a state-of-the-art facility opened in 1993.Built among 17 theatres announced nationwide to mark Rabindranath Tagore’s birth centenary, Ravindra Manch was completed within two years and inaugurated on Aug 15, 1963, by the then Union cultural affairs minister H Kabir.
Cracks on the second floor of Ravindra Manch in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 14 August 2026
Officials say the decline quickened after JKK, another art centre named after the former PM, opened on Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg. “During my tenure, a renovation survey estimated that Rs 25 crore would be needed to revive the complex, but the budget was never sanctioned,” said Priyawarit Singh Charan, manager of Ravindra Manch until 2022.
Ravindra Manch in poor condition on its 63rd year of completion in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 14 August 2026
Ravindra Manch drew writers, artists and intellectuals and helped nurture performers such as Ila Arun and Irrfan Khan.A visit to the campus Friday showed large infrastructure lying largely unused. No major programme is marked for its foundation day, though officials said a small Independence Day event would be held. The 691-seat main auditorium has not hosted an event since February 2026. Staff said its central air conditioning stopped working after wires went missing in Nov-Dec 2025.
Plant growing on the walls of Ravindra Manch in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 14 August 2026
Other signs of decay are equally visible. A Saras Dairy booth in one corner has remained shut for years. The light and sound systems are decades old; chairs are non-reclining, washrooms outdated and greenrooms poorly equipped.“The neglect extends beyond brick and mortar. The tourism and culture department’s website still lists Charan as manager, despite at least three RAS officers having served since his transfer,” an official added. For many, that outdated entry captures the indifference.
