रामनगर की रामलीला / Ramlila of Ramnagar

The video is a presentation on the Ramnagar Ramlila which is staged at Ramnagar in the city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Ramlila is a play which typically lasts for ten to thirty-two days in the Hindi speaking regions of North India. These cycle plays are performed during the Dusshera holidays in the months of September-October and are based on Tulsidas’ epic poem Ramacaritamanas which tells the story of Lord Ram. During this time thousands of Ramlilas are performed and one such play is the Ramnagar Ramlila which is staged across the Ganga River from Varanasi for a 31-day cycle. This Ramlila is the largest and the most well performed due to the patronage of the Maharaja of Varanasi and draws massive crowds. The Ramnagar Ramlila touches upon a large number of themes from pilgrimage to bhakti or devotion, to ideas of reincarnation.