Ramlila has a detailed history and unique identity in Uttarakhand. Ramlila has a profound effect of Goswami Tulsidas ji’s classic text Ramcharitmanas on anywhere. The Ramlilas of Uttarakhand have also not been untouched by this, but due to a lot of changes in the local dialect, there is a glimpse of the mountain in the traditional Ramlila.
Ramlila is staged in almost all cities and towns of six districts of Kumaon. This staging has connected people deeply with it. How detailed the folk culture and civilization here is identified with the couplets and fourths that the artists sing in their melodious voice and specific style at the time of staging. Most of the Ramlilas here begin on the first day of Sharadiya Navratri and Leela ends with the coronation of Rama with the coronation of Rama after continuous staging for ten days.
In many places, effigies of Ravana-Kumbhakaran etc. are also burnt on the day of Dussehra. By the way, one month from Anant Chaturdashi to Sharad Purnima is for the staging of Ramlila. The pastimes of many cities have gone out of this perimeter. Ramlila was first started in Kumaon in the cultural city of Almora. Ramlila was organized by the then Sadar Amin Badridat Joshi of Almora in 1860. After that, the credit for giving a detailed form of Ramlila event in Almora goes to Motiram Shah.
Ramlila was organized by the then Deputy Collector Devidutt in 1897 in the frontier district of Pithoragarh. The credit for starting Ramlila in Bageshwar goes to Shivlal Shah, who first started Ramlila in 1890. Ramlila in Haldwani was started by Kanhaiya Lal Saraswat. The tradition of organizing the Dussehra fair along with Ramlila was also started by him.
Now for many years, the day Ramlila of the day is also organized in Haldwani. Ramlila is also being organized by women in Haldwani, in which all eligible women are. Ramlila was started in 1976 by Mohan Chandra Mishra in Ranibagh, called Haridwar of Kumaon. Ramlilas of Jeolicot, Kathgodam, Chorgalia, Ramnagar, Rudrapur, Kashipur are also famous in Kumaon.-Deepak Naugai, Author
