National Ramayana Festival' organized for the 1st time in Chhattisgarh | 17 May 2023

Why in News?

According to the information given by the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department on 16 May 2023, on the special initiative of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, a three-day grand National Ramayana Festival will be organised in Raigarh from 1 June to 3 June of the next month on the lines of the National Tribal Dance Festival.

Key Points:

• The Department of Culture is making vigorous preparations for this event. Like the tribal dance festival, foreign artists are being invited along with different states of the country. Very soon a unique presentation of Ramayana will be seen by artists from India and abroad on the land of Chhattisgarh.
• Lord Shri Ram has a deep relation with Chhattisgarh. It is believed that Lord Shri Ram had passed through Dandakaranya during his exile and the part of the forests of Chhattisgarh was the part of Dandak Aranya (Dandakaranya). Keeping this in view, there will be special presentations on the events of Aranya Kand during the event.
• Officials of the Culture Department said that in the Ramayana Festival, the artists of Manas Mandali coming from different states of the country will perform from 2 pm to 6 pm and the Manas Mandali coming from abroad will perform from 8 pm to 10 pm.
• In this grand event, Ramayana will be presented by Manas teams from different states as well as foreign teams on themes centred on the Aranya incident.
• Collective Hanuman Chalisa and grand Kelo Aarti will also be organised in the National Ramayana Festival, in which thousands of lamps will be donated.
• Culture Department officials said that for the first time in the state, the National Ramayana Festival will be organised by the Culture Department at Ram Leela Maidan in Raigarh.
• Manas troupes participating in this festival will be rewarded, in which the first prize of Rs 5 lakh, the second prize of Rs 3 lakh and the third prize of Rs 2 lakh have been fixed.
• This national-level event by the state government will be a unique initiative in the direction of preserving the culture of the state.
• It is worth mentioning that the story of Ramayana has been written in many languages and it is staged in many countries. The stage for their beautiful presentation will be the Ramlila Maidan in Raigad. There has been a continuous tradition of Ramlila in the country. When Ram Katha is presented through the festival, a large number of people will be able to learn about his ideals through Ram Katha.
• Tulsidas ji's RamcharitManas is widespread in Chhattisgarh. Now through Ramayana Mahotsav, the audience will get an opportunity to see the glimpse of the ideals of Lord Ram from Valmiki to Bhavabhuti.
• The expansion of the Ramayana ranges from the Tamil Ramayana of Kamban to the Bangla Ramayana of Kritivas. Along with this, many forms of it are prevalent in South-East Asian countries as well. The audience will be able to get a glimpse of these beautiful forms of the character of Shri Ram through the Ramayana Mahotsav.