RMALIL OF VARANASI

Rmalil is an agreeable art of Varanasi. It is based upon the story of Lord Rma, the King of Ayodhy (one of seven cities) and indeed, an incarnation of God Vishnu. Thousands of years ago, Maharshi Vlmiki wrote this epic tract nown as Rmyana. It is not only a great epic in Sanskrit rather it is one of the greatest epic ever created in any language. Lately, !any Rmyanas were written on its basis in various languages. "ne of those boo s is Rmacharita Mnas, written by renowned saint Tulsidsa in #$th century. It ac%uired a prestigious status a!ong north Indians by ti!e. Varanasi&s Rmalils are also based upon the Rmacharita Mnasa. 'ust to be a part of that unparalleled grandeur, special and general people fro! within the country and abroad co!e to Varanasi. There is no %uestion about the interest of the local populace in it. (o!e western scholars, unaware of the traditions of east, wonder about the fact that, )what type of dra!a is this* It&s neither classical nor fol . +ut it is not a dra!a in Varanasi, it is a part of worship, being with lord, a religious austerity and ritual. The Indian philosophy defines Lil very-very clearly and evidently. Lil is not any dra!a, it is .a narrative perception&, and .a fol circled i!itation of the divine activities, .a ritual&, and .a recitation of God&. The characters in Lil don&t act, they live their characters. /ith the!, the whole society flows in the strea! of Lil. In this non-acted flat Lil, when Rma weeps on the occasion of Laxmana being struc by Shakti (a divine weapon, in this case), hundreds of thousands of devotees, the observers of Lil are also turned sad. Lil is a religious ritual. Sankalpa, Mukuta Poojana, Karma Knda and Visarjana, all are a part of Lil. 0ven during the brea ing intervals, the perfor!ers are living their characters in reality. The perfor!ers are believed to be e%ual to god at that ti!e and in no case put down their feet on ground, neither do they ta e off their !a eup or orna!ents and other attributes. 0very observer of Lil is hi!self a character of it and fully involved in it. Lil is a profound art of e1pressing the for!less into an audio visual version. Literally, Li !eans e!bracing with heart and L !eans ta ing, grasping. (o Lil !eans, )the !ediu! which causes oneness with god is Lil.2

"ne, who drowns in the spirituality of Lil, settles into a divine aspect, a spiritual e1perience. It is necessary to dictate Rmyana during the Lil. h!ki (religious peep) is also an essential ele!ent of Lil. The distinctive aspect of Lil is its ai!, the cause of observing it. 3s per Shrimad"ha#$ad#it 4 Jeevasya Yaha Samsarato Vimokshanam Na Jnatonartha Vahachchhreerataha Lilvatraiha Swayasha Pradeepakam Prjwlayatw Tamaham Prapadye Lil is !eant for social welfare, the welfare of the hu!an being, happiness and prosperity for every one, an austerity for peace and euphoria. Lil is not a dra!a. 5ra!a is !eant to a!use you, unli e it, Lil is a sy!bol, a synony! of faith and devotion. The evolution of Lil in Varanasi is believed to be actuated by the highly estee!ed Vaishna%a (a 6indu sect, worshiping Vishnu), &ryana 'sa (M)dh *ha#ata+. There are evidences indicating about the Lil already in vogue, in #789.
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but the Rmcharita Mnasa was

finali:ed around #7;8. Thus it is clear that the initial for! of Lil was based on the Vlmiki Rmyana. It is al!ost around 8$; year&s old tradition of religious perfor!ing art still alive incessantly. Initially, the RmaLil was started at three places vi:. Kashi, 3yodhy< and =hitra oota. +y the ti!e, the other two Lils were banished and abandoned but Kashi&s Lil is still strea!ing as a ti!eless entity. >robably, this is a world record of an unbro en series of perfor!ing arts.

#. The 3llahabad Law 'ournal, #?#@.