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MP to stage Vikramaditya play in Varanasi, CM to offer Vedic clock at Kashi Vishwanath
The three-day production opens on April 3 at BLW Ground with multi-stage staging, live animals and large-format visual effects.
The Madhya Pradesh government will begin a three-day staging of Samrat Vikramaditya Mahanatya in Varanasi on Friday, April 3, with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath scheduled to attend the opening programme. The production will be held at the BLW Ground and is being organised under the state government’s Vikramotsav 2026 programme.
According to the official release, the play has been designed to present episodes associated with emperor Vikramaditya, including references drawn from Singhasan Battisi, Betal Pachisi and other traditional narratives linked to his rule. The staging is being organised through Maharaja Vikramaditya Research Peeth.
Officials said more than 200 artistes will take part in the production. The set will include three stages, with the central stage measuring 80 by 62 feet and two side stages of 42 by 42 feet each. The government said the performance will also use 18 horses, two chariots, four camels, a palanquin and an elephant as part of the stage design and live sequences.
The programme is expected to include depictions of Vikramaditya’s court and its scholars, along with episodes linked to Mahakal temple traditions. The release said the production will use projection graphics, more than 400 lights, a large LED screen and fireworks during the presentation. Seating for around 10,000 to 15,000 people has been arranged at the venue, according to officials.
Alongside the theatre production, Yadav is also scheduled to present a Vikramaditya Vedic clock to Kashi Vishwanath temple. The Madhya Pradesh government said this is the first such offering in a planned series linked to Jyotirlinga shrines after the installation of the Vikramaditya Vedic clock in Ujjain.
The government has described the clock as a system based on Indian time-reckoning traditions. It displays Vedic time, Indian Standard Time, panchang details, Vikram Samvat month, planetary positions and related calendar information. The accompanying mobile application, according to the release, is available in more than 180 languages and includes location and weather information, access to panchang, and muhurat alerts.
The clock installed in Ujjain was inaugurated in 2024, the government said. The Varanasi programme combines the staging of the Vikramaditya play with the symbolic expansion of that initiative to another major temple town.
