Agra’s Historic Ramlila Begins with Worship of 150-Year-Old Silver Crown

The ancient Ramlila celebrations in Agra began with the worship of a 150-year-old crown at Channomal Baradari in the city. All crowns were worshiped through rituals on Tuesday. Following the crown worship, the recitation of the Shri Ramcharit Manas commenced. The Ramlila Mahotsav will run until October 16.

Rahul Gautam, the media in-charge of the Ramlila Mahotsav at Channomal Baradari, stated that the crown is 150 years old. He stated that silver crowns like these are rare in North India. The Ramlila festival begins with the worship of these crowns.

Silver crowns of Lord Ram, Sita Mata, Laxman, Ganesh, and Lord Hanuman were also worshiped at Channomal Baradari. Ramlila Committee President Purushottam Khandelwal and General Secretary Rajiv Agarwal performed the puja. This year, the Ramlila is being staged by the troupe of Ramkripa Leela Sansthan, under the direction of Neeraj Chaturvedi from Mathura.

With Pitru Paksha starting on September 18, the puja was performed on September 17. The crown was worshiped by Pandit Chakrapani Sharma, with Lord Ganesha being the first to be invoked. The worship concluded with an aarti. Manoj Bhardwaj will recite the Ramcharit Manas daily, accompanied by kirtan at the Baradari until October 16.

Rahul Gautam, the media in-charge of the Ramlila Committee, stated that the 150-year-old silver crown is revived every year for the festival. He noted that such crowns are rare in any Ramlila across North India. The crowns receive special care and are only brought out during the Ramlila festival.