Unique Ramlila, held in winter, endures in Uttarkashi village for 122 years

UTTARKASHI: While the country welcomed the new year on Thursday, Gorshali village in Uttarkashi district was alive with a different kind of celebration: the culmination of the year's Ramlila, part of a tradition that has been observed here since 1904. Unlike most of India, where Ramlila is staged in autumn and culminates around Dussehra, Gorshali's rendition unfolds in the heart of winter, following a ritual calendar shaped by local customs.The tradition began in 1904, when villagers first started staging episodes from the Ramayana. According to Subhash Nautiyal, president of the Shri Vasuki Nag Devta Temple Restoration and Tourism Committee, the performances soon drew the attention of officials of the erstwhile Tehri princely state. The king was informed by "spies" that a coronation was being enacted for Lord Rama rather than for the ruler of the state. Offended, the king ordered an immediate ban on the Ramlila that same year.The prohibition did not last long. Two village elders petitioned the king, who agreed to lift the ban under one condition: the concluding ritual of the Ramlila had to honour Vasuki Nag Devta, the village's presiding serpent deity. The arrangement was formalised through a copper plate inscription, granting official sanction to the performance. This practice continued until the end of princely rule around 76 years ago. Over the past seven decades, the coronation has been symbolically returned to Lord Rama — performed with Vedic chants in the presence of the palanquin of Vasuki Nag.Today, the Ramlila remains a collective undertaking, with more than 300 families participating each year. "For 21 days, the committee members and actors live a life of austerity, eating only one meal a day and staying within the temple premises," said Surat Ram Nautiyal, former vice-chairman of the Char Dham Development Council and a village elder. Dharmendra Singh Rana, president of the Ramlila committee, added that the event extends far beyond theatrical performance. Alongside the daily enactment of the epic, the period includes continuous rendition of Ramayana, Hanuman Chalisa, and associated rituals and ceremonies, all observed according to long-established traditions and customs. Bhagwan Singh Rana, who has portrayed Lord Rama multiple times, said, "This tradition, which is more than 100 years old, is still being followed by everyone. No other place in the entire region stages such a grand and traditional Ramlila, which is a matter of great pride for us."The Ramlila season begins shortly after Diwali, during the lunar month of margashirsha, with the hoisting of a ceremonial flag. Each morning, following the mangalacharan (auspicious start), passages from the Ramayana are recited and explained from the Vyas peeth (platform). The afternoon is reserved for the staged performance. When the narrative reaches Lord Ram's return from exile, the entire village rises to welcome him. Homes and pathways are adorned with flowers and garlands, and at the moment of coronation, Rama is crowned before the palanquin of Vasuki Nag. The actor portraying Rama then moves among the villagers, offering blessings for happiness and prosperity, bringing the Ramlila to a close.This time, Gorshali's Ramlila began on Dec 14 and concluded on Jan 1, with the coronation of Lord Rama.Decisions around the coronation ritual are made in consultation with the temple and the custodians of Vasuki Nag, following traditional reckonings associated with the deity's palanquin. Pawan Nautiyal, a resident, says that this year, the coronation was fixed for 3pm on Jan 1, and the programme was organised accordingly.Village elders Madan Singh Rana and Abbal Singh also recalled stories tied to the performance. They said that during the princely era, British expatriate Frederick "Pahari" Wilson — a former army man who settled in the upper Garhwal valleys and later emerged as a powerful timber trader — took an interest in Gorshali's Ramlila. According to village lore, Wilson had the troupe perform in Harsil in 1914 and, impressed by the enactment, rewarded the committee with 100 gold coins.