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 The Ramlila performances are dramatizations of the Ramayana and
the first
Ramnagar Ramlila occurred sometime in the nineteenth century. Udit Narayan Singh,the Maharajah of Banaras,
usually receives credit for the creation of the Ramlila of Ramnagar. The Maharajah resided in Ramnagar
and there are three
well-known stories regarding his participation in the
Ramlila formation.
The first tells of his habit of attending a Ramlila in
Banaras that was disrupted by a flood of the Ganga. In response, he
sponsored a Ramlila closer to home in the village of Chhota Mirzapur that
eventually became the Ramnagar Ramlila. The second story revolves around the
infant son of the ruler. Legend holds the infant became ill and a garland
from the Ramlila in Banaras saved him. In gratitude, Udit Narayan Singh
continued patronizing the Ramlila at Chhota Mirzapur until it finally
evolved into the Ramnagar Ramlila. The last version of the story has the
ruler upset over arriving late to the Ramlila at Chhota Mirzapur. When he
returned home to Ramnagar, the Maharani, sensing his displeasure suggested
the ruler initiate a performance of the Ramlila in Ramnagar and provided the
funds for the endeavor. Whatever the actual sequence, Udit Narayan Singh most definitely had a hand in the creation of the Ramlila
at Ramnagar.
The
Ramlila of Ramnagar lasts for 30-31 days and covers approximately one square
mile. Audience members may follow the performers to several different sites
during just one day of the performance. Svarupas, the characters who
play Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrughna, and Janaki are chosen by the
Maharajah through an audition process. The role requires the presence of
certain physical characteristics such as height, beauty, age, and voice and
only Brahman boys, those belonging to the highest social caste in India, may
audition for these roles. Boys as young as eight qualify for the role of
Shatrughna and most young men only hold their positions as Svarupas for
three to four years in light of the rule that Svarupas must not have any
facial hair nor voice changes. Families often inherit certain roles such as
Ravana. In 1990, the same family had held the role of Ravana since 1835. In
addition, the roles of Hanuman, Jatayu, and Janaka traditionally belong to
one Vyasa family and young male children with adequate time allotments play
the smaller roles including the Queen roles. Various children fill the roles
of the demon and monkey armies each year.
Ten
days before the beginning of the annual performance, the Svarupas and other
performance members gather on the roof of a specially built and
intentionally located house in the main square of Ramnagar. Thus begins a
ten-day worship ritual that includes a full reading of the
Ramacharitamanasa. A group of 12 men called by the name of Ramayani and
an individual responsible for playing the mridanga (a large double-sided
drum) sings a predetermined, specific number of the Ramayana couplets each
day. On the tenth day, the Ramayanis will stop their recitation at the 175th
couplet and the Ramacharitamanasa reading/singing will begin again the next
day, the first day of the Ramlila. The singing continues as a part of the
performance, connecting and narrating each of the scenes .
At
the beginning of each day’s performance, the Maharajah appears dressed
in royal regalia to a crowd chanting, “Hara Hara, Mahadev” which translates
to “Shiva, Shiva, the great God.” The performance then continues on with
various dramas occurring each day with as many as 100,000 audience members
in attendance on the most popular performance days. When the Ramayanis reach
the 51st couplet of the last book of the Ramacharitamanasa, the
singing stops, the character representing Narada departs, and the Ramlila
performance ends. However, additional couplets remain in the last book. In
order to bring an official end to the Ramlila, the Ramayanis begin a
self-paced, silent reading of the remaining couplets while the Svarupas
reside as guests with the Maharajah. Once the Ramayanis finish the reading,
the final arati, a burning of incense and oil lamps in honor of a deity, is
held at the site of Ayodhya symbolizing an official end to the performance. |
