Ramlila: the Traditional Performance of the Ramaya

　　Proclamation: 2005

Member State(s): India

Region: Asia-Pacific

Associated themes: Performing arts

Ramlila, literally "Rama's play," is a performance of the Ramayana epic in the form of a series of scenes that include song, narration, recital and dialogue. It is performed across the whole of northern India during the festival of Dussehra, held each year according to the ritual calendar around the month of October or November. The most representative Ramlilas are those of Ayodhya, Ramnagar and Benares, Vrindavan, Almora, Sattna and Madhubani.

　　This staging of the Ramayana is based on the Ramacharitmanas, one of the most popular story-telling forms in the north of the country. This sacred text to the glory of Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, was composed by Tulsidas in the 16th century in a dialect that is close to Hindi in order to make the Sanskrit epic available to all. The majority of the Ramlilas recount episodes from the Ramacharitmanas through a series of performances lasting an average of 10 to 12 days, but some, such as Ramnagar's, may last a whole month.