Ramlila, or Ramleela, is any dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama drawn from the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana or secondary literature based on it, most commonly the sixteenth-century Awadhi-language Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas, whose verses are used as dialogue in traditional adaptations. It particularly refers to the thousands of Rama-related dramatic plays and dance events staged during the annual autumn festival of Navaratri in India, climaxing on Vijayadashami, or Dussehra, when giant effigies of the demon Ravana are burnt. Open-air productions are staged by local Ramlila committees and funded by villagers or local neighborhoods, with a trained core of performance artists supplemented by impromptu participants from the audience.
Facts
Place of OriginNorth India, especially the Hindu cities of Ayodhya and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh 1 Notable ExampleThe Ramnagar Ramlila, a 31-day staging of the complete Ramcharitmanas at Ramnagar near Varanasi, begun around 1830 1 Defining TraitAn audience-participatory open-air night performance staged by amateur actors, with dialogue that is largely improvised and responsive to the crowd 1 Connections
Sources
1. Ramlila (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, on notable cities
Ramlila is particularly notable in historically important Hindu cities of Ayodhya, Varanasi, Vrindavan, Almora, Una, Chamba, Solan, Satna and Madhubani
Style section
A Ramlila is not a simple play acted out in a drama theatre, but it is structured to encourage and allow the audience to participate
Notable traditions section, on the Ramnagar tradition
The Ramnagar Ramlila is held over 31 days where the entire Ramcharitmanas is recited, instead of the usual 10 for abridged production
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