Rama Lila in the Hindu Festival of Dussera
The Evolution of the Epic of Ramayana
Lila refers to the activities performed by the human incarnations of the divine during their sojourn on earth. This primarily refers to the avatars of Krishna and Rama. The Hindu festival of Dussera celebrates the Lila of Rama.
During the ten days of Dussera, the epic of the Ramayana is enacted and on the tenth day, which is Dussera, Rama slays the demon king Ravan. Rama is the seventh avatar of Vishnu.
The Rama Lila
The most widespread manner in which Dussera is celebrated in India is through the Rama Lila. It has its origins in antiquity. As far as recorded history goes, the Rama Lila of Ramanagar has been performed for over two centuries year after year without a break. This Rama Lila in enacted over 31 days instead of the usual ten days. As such the Rama Lila is performed in villages, towns and even metropolis cities.
In villages, the entire population gets involved with the Rama Lila. Even the very young and the very old have roles to play. The roles for the older generation include that of King Dasharath, the bear Jambavant and the sage Vishvamitra. Those who are not acting get involved with the costumes or the makeshift stages and other aspects of the Rama Lila. Today it is not only the Hindus that participate in the Rama Lila but people of other religions join in without any inhibitions.
Some scenes from the Rama Lila are very popular and the days on which they are performed draw larger than usual crowds. One is when Rama breaks the bow in the swayamvar of Sita. Another is Bharat Milap when Rama meets his brother Bharat in Chitrakoot. The best is however the burning of the effigy of Ravan. A huge effigy of Ravan is constructed and packed with firecrackers and flammable material. At the appropriate time Rama fires is a burning arrow into the effigy which bursts into flames to the enjoyment of all the viewers.
Rama Lila in Swades
The popularity of the Rama Lila has led to its inclusion in several Hindi films. Films that are released around Dussera time often have sequences from the Rama Lila. One recent movie that had a memorable scene was Swades starring Shahrukh Khan.
The scene depicts the final day. Ravan exhorts Sita to marry him because he says that Rama will now not come to rescue her. Sita replies that her lord is everywhere, is all powerful and will definitely come. There is a line in the song ‘Pal Pal Hai Bhari’ that says, “Man se Ravan jo nikaale, Rama uske man mein hai.” This translates into, "Divinity resides within that person who has eradicated evil from his mind." This is the essential message of the Ramayana.
The Ramayana in Different Mediums and Places
Referring to the assassination of Caesar Shakespeare wrote in Julius Caesar, “How many years from now will this lofty scene of ours be acted out in countries not yet created and languages not yet spoken.” The same is true of the Ramayana. The original was written in Sanskrit by Valmiki but every Indian language has its own Ramayana. The most popular are Kamba Ramayana in Tamil and the Tulsi Ramayana in Hindi. Several scholars have translated the Ramayana in English and in other languages as well.
The oldest portrayal of the Ramayana is in the Rama Lila format on public grounds. However no medium has been left untouched. The Ramayana has been created as films, television serials, stage productions and dance dramas. It has been written as novels and comic books. One of the latest trends is to take the core story of the Ramayana and present it in a contemporary or even future setting. Ramayana 3392 AD is a futuristic version, which is the brain child of Shekhar Kapur and Deepak Chopra.
Outside India, the Ramayana is most popular in the South East Asian countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam and in particular Indonesia. In Indonesia it is performed in a ballet form that is much appreciated. This is all the more surprising because Indonesia is an Islamic country.
Sources:
- The Ramayana, Hinduism, Sacred Texts; Accessed at Sacred-Texts.com.
- Ramayana 3392 AD; Accessed at Books.Sulekha.com.
- Festivals; Accessed at IndiaRoom.com.
Effigy of Ravan1
|
Effigy of Ravan2
|
Latest Articles