Forgotten Ramlila venues of Delhi

According to historian S Irfan Habib, “One notable Ramlila, organised by the workers of Delhi Cloth Mills (DCM) near the Bara Hindu Rao area, was sponsored by the Shri Ram family, the factory’s owners.”

This production gained popularity for its state-of-the-art revolving stage and was the first Ramlila in Delhi to depict Hanuman flying through the air. Historiographer and renowned Delhi chronicler RV Smith noted that those who couldn’t afford to attend Ramlila Maidan often went to the DCM ground.

“Workers from Swatantra Bharat Mills would also join the DCM Ramlila. The company displayed a hoarding of their products at the venue and was known for its giant effigies, which, on one occasion, were taller than the Ravana effigy at Ramlila Maidan,” he explained.

The DCM complex transformed into a fairground on Dussehra, with numerous vendors setting up stalls. Attractions included kiosks selling knick-knacks, wooden toys, sweets, and even medical consultations from doctors at Tibbia College. However, the DCM Ramlila in Delhi was discontinued in the mid-1990s due to the area being redeveloped into a residential complex for factory workers.

According to a Hindustan Times report, after the 1857 uprising, the venue for Ramlila was changed. Initially, it moved to Tees Hazari Bagh and later to an area outside Ajmeri Gate. “People would carry the ashes of the burnt Lanka homes, considering them sacred,” noted Swapna Liddle, convener of the Delhi chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). Liddle, who is also the author of Chandni Chowk: The Mughal City of Old Delhi, organises heritage walks in the area.

Also Read: The Cultural Mosaic of Dussehra in Old Delhi

The pond known as ‘Shahji ka Talaab’ at Ajmeri Gate provided an ideal backdrop for the ‘Kevat’ scene, where a boatman ferries Ram, Lakshman, and Sita across the Saryu River during their 14-year exile. However, the water body was eventually filled in, and Kamla Market was constructed at the site in the 1950s.

In a series of essays on Delhi’s history, 19th-century author and academic Maulvi Zaki Ullah writes that another performance was held three miles from the city limits in Wazirabad cantonment, for which the infantry regiment’s Hindu and Muslim soldiers jointly collected donations and made arrangements. This performance was initiated by the Mughals to promote Hindu-Muslim unity in Shahjahanabad.

Old Delhi is renowned for hosting some of the city’s largest and oldest Ramlilas, with origins tracing back to the Mughal era. Traditions such as the Ramlila Savaari continue to be celebrated in the Walled City, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the region.