Today,
several regions have developed their distinctive form of Ramlila, New Delhi
itself has numerous variants of presentation styles, most prominent among them
is that of NSP Pitampura Delhi , staged over multiple venue, the
pantomime style is visible in Jhankis or tableaux pageants as seem in Ramlila of Delhi, where colorful Jhankis and pageants depicting scenes from the life of
Lord Rama are taken out through the city.
Next is the operatic style
incorporates elements of folk theatre elements generously, while the
traditional style remains, where the couplets of Ramacharitmanas not only act
as dialogues, but also as chorus as well, and lastly there is the Ramlila
staged by professional troupes called "mandalis".
Ramilias now have dialogues written in Khadi Boli or in local dialects, but the treatment remains melodramatic as always to achieve maximum impact amidst an audience that knows the story by heart, but watches the enactment nevertheless for religious fervour and also for its spectacle value, making Ramlila an important event in the religious as well as social calendar of not only in small town and villages but also many big cities. Just other folk theatre form of India, like Jatra of Bengal, topic themes are often interwoven in the script to had relevance and sometimes humour is used to offer a critic or commentary over current happenings.
A unique
staging of Ramlila, takes place at Chitrakoot, over five days every year during
the last week of February, beginning from the Maha Shivratri day, here the
episode of Bharat-Milap is of prime importance, and is watched by eager
devotees. The Ram Barat of Agra is another interesting tradition connected with
Ramlila, where in during the three festivities, a marriage procession of Rama
is taken through various localities of the Delhi city.
