Varanasi: Against a soft drizzle and beneath a canopy of umbrellas, the world-famous Ramnagar Ramlila returned on Anant Chaturdashi on Friday, opening its centuries-old 31-day saga with the birth of demon king Ravan and a celestial prophecy as devotees gathered to witness the timeless open-air tradition.Ramnagar reverberated with chants of “Jai Siyaram” as devotees, known as nemis, returned after a year, carrying shoulder bags, copies of the Ramcharitmanas and sticks. Before the performance began, emotional reunions unfolded as devotees greeted and embraced one another, evoking the spirit of Bharat Milap.As tradition dictates, the Ramlila began with the arrival of Anant Narayan Singh, representative of the Kashi royal family. He reached the venue in a royal procession atop an elephant and received a formal salute from PAC personnel. Soon after, Vyas Hriday Narayan Pandey’s solemn call of “Chup raho, savdhan” brought the gathering to silence. Verses from the Ramcharitmanas were then sung from the Baradari to the rhythm of dholak and manjira.The opening episode traced Ravan’s rise in arrogance after he received a boon of fearlessness from Brahma. He attacked the golden palace built by Vishwakarma and disrupted the yajnas and rituals of Brahmins. His tyranny deepened as he banned the recitation of the Vedas and Puranas, along with ancestral rites and sacred fire rituals.Alarmed by Ravan’s growing tyranny, the gods and sages, acting on Indra’s advice, reached Vaikunth Dham and prayed to Lord Vishnu. At Rambagh, the pond was transformed into a divine Kshirsagar with soft red and white lighting. In its midst, Lord Vishnu appeared reclining on Sheshnag, with Goddess Lakshmi serving his feet and Brahma seated on a lotus.The first day’s performance ended with Lord Vishnu assuring the devotees that he would incarnate in human form to protect dharma.The centuries-old spectacle also reflected a touch of modernity this year. While many devotees carried printed copies of the Ramcharitmanas, others followed the verses on their mobile phones, bringing digital convenience into an age-old tradition.Recognised as a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage tradition, the Ramnagar Ramlila is a 31-day theatrical enactment of the Ramcharitmanas staged across a nearly 10-kilometre area in Ramnagar. Its performance spaces represent Ayodhya, Janakpuri, Lanka and Chitrakoot. The tradition began in the early 19th century, around 1830, under the patronage of Maharaja Udit Narayan Singh of Kashi.Known for its spiritual discipline and traditional style, the Ramlila does not use modern artificial lights, microphones or electric amplifiers. Actors deliver their dialogues in natural voices, following Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, while spectators walk alongside the performers across the sacred performance arenas.Despite the drizzle, the opening day once again brought alive the grandeur, devotion, elaborate costumes, dialogues and distinctive pageantry that have made the Ramnagar Ramlila renowned in India and abroad.
