Ramnagar

Ramnagar is a great city located near to the Varanasi at the right bank of Gange. It is a municipal board in Varanasi district in the Uttar Pradesh, India. It is famous for its fort known as Ramnagar Fort. The King of Varanasi still lives in this fort. He was known as Kashi Naresh or king of Kashi and it is still regarded by the people of the city of Varanasi.

Ramnagar Fort has a big museum which is the repository of the history of all kings of Benares. Ramnagar fort has been the home of Kashi Naresh since the 18th century. The king of Ramnagar is a chief cultural patron and most important part of all religious celebrations. The popular mela of Ramlila is held in Ramnagar annually under the aegis of King of Varanasi.

Ramnagar is also a favorite spot for movies shooting just because of the scenic location near the Ganges. One of the most popular movies which was shot here is Chokher Bali.

History

The Ramnagar Fort was constructed by the ancient Kashi Naresh “Raja Balwant Singh” in the 18th century. It is built in Mughal style architecture with carved balconies, broad open courtyards as well as picturesque pavilions.

Saraswati Bhawan in the Ramnagar Fort has a rare collection of manuscripts, especially religious writings. It has precious manuscripts written by Goswami Tulsidas.

Vyasa Temple at Ramnagar

In the Ramnagar, there is a Vyasa temple according to a popular Puranic story. In is believed that Vyasa has been banished from Varanasi by the Lord Shiva because of his bad temper, so Vyasa took his residence on the right side of Ganges known as Ramnagar.

Ramlila

Ramlila is great mela held in Ramnagar on Dussehra, the great Hindus festival. This festival is inaugurated by Kashi Naresh and goes continuously the month long.

The Ramlila fair is a cycle of plays of Lord Rama and Ravan, as accurately told in Ramcharitmanas, the version of the Ramayana by Tulsidas. All the plays are sponsored by the Maharaja and performed in Ramnagar for 31 days in the evening. This tradition of staging the Ramleela was started by the Maharaja Udit Narayan Singh at Ramnagar in the mid 19th century. Hundreds of millions pilgrims arrive there annually for seeing the great fair organized by Kashi Naresh.

Demographics

According to 2001 update, Ramnagar had a population of 39,941. Males constitute 54% and females 46% of the population. The average literacy rate is 58%. 15% of the total population is under the 6 years of age.