Ram Lila of Pauri Garhwal: Text, Context and Performance

Abstract

Ram Lila, the dramatic enactment of the Ramayana, represents one of the most enduring forms of India's intangible cultural heritage. While the Ram Lila tradition has received considerable scholarly attention in relation to celebrated performance centres such as Ramnagar and Varanasi, the regional manifestations of the tradition in the Himalayan districts of Uttarakhand remain comparatively underexplored. This paper examines the Ram Lila tradition of Pauri Garhwal through the interconnected frameworks of text, context, and performance, arguing that the regional performance constitutes a dynamic cultural practice rather than a static religious ritual. Drawing upon textual analysis of the Valmiki Ramayana, Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, and existing scholarship on folklore, performance studies, and Garhwali culture, the study demonstrates how local communities reinterpret the epic narrative according to their historical experiences, linguistic practices, religious beliefs, and socio-cultural identities. The paper further argues that Ram Lila in Pauri Garhwal functions simultaneously as sacred theatre, community pedagogy, and a repository of collective memory. It illustrates how ritual performance becomes a medium through which ethical values, regional identity, and intergenerational cultural continuity are negotiated. The study also analyses the contemporary challenges posed by migration, urbanisation, changing patterns of audience engagement, and digital media, while highlighting the resilience and adaptability of the tradition. Rather than perceiving modernity as an inevitable threat, the paper contends that Ram Lila continuously reconstructs itself through selective innovation without abandoning its ritual foundations. By situating Pauri Garhwal's Ram Lila within broader debates in performance studies, folklore, and cultural heritage, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of regional theatrical traditions as living archives of India's plural cultural identity.