Ramnagar Fort in Varanasi which hosts the 200-year-old Ramlila. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Follow the elephant, we are told. Maharaja Anant Narayan Singh of Ramnagar, seated on a decorated elephant, and other members of the royal family, proceed to a place in the Ramlila grounds where the death of Meghnad (Ravana’s son) is to be staged.

In the ground, the entire community of Ramlila lovers is present with Ramcharitmanas and torches in their hands. In one corner of the audience is a group of turbaned singers with pakhawaj, reciting sections of the Ramcharitmanas.

As the singers sing, the dialogue begins. “Shut up…be careful,” says the event organizer, who is also the official promoter of the show.

During the staging of Ramlila, a group of singers along with Pakhawaj are reciting sections of Ramcharitmanas. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

It’s that time of the year in Varanasi when the entire place turns into a stage with multiple venues. It is the third week of Ramleela, and about 12 of us, theater artistes from different parts of India, are here to experience the visual feast.

In the Ramlila of Ram Nagar, larger than life figures are seen in the role of demons. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A huge effigy of the smiling Meghnad, who is also a prominent impersonator, is being brought to the central place. The effigy that stops Meghnad contains four more disguised demons. A young boy who plays the role of Lakshmana comes to duel with the giant effigy. He keeps moving back and forth and keeps shooting arrows at every disguised person present in front of Meghnad who is hiding behind him. At last, Lakshmana attacks Meghnad and he gets burnt.

While the effigies represent demons, the roles of Ram, Lakshman and Hanuman are played by people. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Mourning is observed and women gather to cry for Meghnad. This happens in the section reserved for Lanka, and the entire crowd walks to that place.

This month-long performance tradition in Varanasi has three elements. Group reading, dialogue and the rest of the show. “You either focus on the music or the dialogue. You can’t be here or there. Then, you won’t understand anything,” one singer tells us. While a Pakhawaj player shares: “This has been happening for over 200 years. The artists are selected by the Maharaja and they rehearse for at least two months.

Larger than life figures play the roles of demons while Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman are played by people. Thousands of people gather around the grounds to watch the final aarti.

While returning, at a juice shop, the shop owner told us that around midnight, Nak Katana (cutting of nose of Shurpanakha) would take place in an area called Lanka in Varanasi. “Do you think the mutilation of Shurpanakha was justified?” I ask a woman. “She was the cause of the war. that’s important. If not, then how will Ravana be killed by Ram, how will he get salvation?” She justifies.

Elsewhere, veteran actor Manoj Pandey enthralls the audience around him. All around him are little monsters, a noisy crowd of children who are happy to run from one end of the street to the other. The scene being staged is a duel between Shurpanakha’s cousin Khar-Dushan (played by Pandey) and Ram. Pandey has been a Ramleela artiste for the last four decades. He cleverly stops his work and tells us that it is sadhana (devotion) for him. “I am from the Aghora spiritual tradition. The rigor of that practice nourishes my acting as well,” he says.

On the last day of our Ramlila journey, we, like thousands of others, come early to watch Ravana Dahan. The 10-headed king of Lanka weighs heavily on all of us. There is something majestic about him that cannot be expressed in words. Here is a man who lived a life rich in music, war and desire.

After several hours of waiting, the crowd moves towards the corner of the field we now know as Lanka. And there he is, engulfed in flames, just as Vibhishana had set him on fire. The smile in his eyes has been replaced by a gleam of fire. Soon, the entire statue catches fire, and a hot air balloon takes off carrying the flame. A spectator comments, “This is the soul of Ravana, attaining salvation after being killed by Rama.” That vivacious king has now become a vivid memory.