UP: Ravan is a hero in Prayagraj's Katra Ramlila

PRAYAGRJ: It's rare to find a Ramlila which glorifies the demon King Ravan. But the Katra Ramlila in Prayagraj is one such exception. Ravan here is a hero — be it the Shobha Yatra taken out in his name or the Ramlila organised in the locality.
So, what makes Katra Ramlila unique? Katra is considered the ‘nanihal’ (maternal home) of Ravan.
According to the Ramayana, sage Bharadwaj married his daughter Ilavila with sage Vishrava (father of Ravan) and the couple son, Kuber, the lord of wealth, was the original ruler of Lanka. Later, Vishrava also married Asura Sumali’s daughter Kaikesi with whom he had four children — the eldest being Ravan.
Ravan eventually ousted his half-brother Kuber as the King of Lanka and usurped his throne.
“Since sage Bharadwaj’s ashram was situated at the place which is today known as Katra. Residents of this locality consider it as Ravan’s nanihal since it was the home of his stepmother Ilavila,” says Varanasi-based astrologer Acharya Hemant Bhaduri.
"For us, Ravan is a child pampered by all and that is why we take out his Shobha Yatra on the 11th day of Pitrapaksha. Also, the Ramlila organised by Katra Ramlila Committee starts a day earlier than the other Ramlilas of the city. The first day shows the birth of Ravan,"says committee’s general secretary Gopal Babu Jaiswal. This year, Katra Ramlila will begin from September 25.
Katra Ramlila is also different as it shows the birth of Goddess Sita and how she got her name. “In our drama, Ravan becomes adult soon after his birth and tells his mother that he is born a demon and cannot do bhakti and instead would indulge in wrongdoing so that one day Narayana (Vishnu’s human form, the would-be Lord Ram) would kill him and he would get moksha,” says Katra Ramlila director Subodh Kumar Singh.
Shwetank Kumar Mishra has been essaying the role of Ravan for the past five years in this Ramlila. “Katra Ramlila provides a better insight into the demon king being an intellectual too. I find this aspect more enticing,” says Mishra. It was this role which earned me work in Mumbai where I am engaged in a number of projects. But, every year, I take 15 days leave and come here to perform the role, he adds.
Ravan’s Shobha Yatra (procession), which was taken out in Katra on Wednesday night, is another popular feature of this Ramlila.
The committee has one rule for the demon’s character — the actor has to be a Brahmin. “Everyone talks of the Dussehra of Mysore, but several processions taken during Navratra in Prayagraj can match the grandeur of Mysore. Our Ramlilas should be promoted to boost tourism in this religious city,” says Gopal Babu Jaiswal, a local resident.