Ayodhya readies for grand Ramleela over 9 days, Bollywood stars to perform

Earlier this year, the foundation stone for construction of a grand Ram Temple was laid in Ayodhya by PM Narendra Modi.

As the temple town gears up to celebrate a star-studded Ramleela this Dussehra, a three-member production team reached Ayodhya from New Delhi to carry out a survey of the venue on Tuesday.

This year’s Ramleela in Ayodhya will be telecast on Doordarshan apart from other platforms. (HT Photo)

Nine-day Ayodhya ki Ramleela will be performed at Laxman Quila on the banks of the river Saryu from October 17-25 in which Bollywood actors will play various characters of the epic.

“The production team of Ramleela visited Ayodhya to survey the spot,” said Rishikesh Upadhyay, Mayor of Ayodhya.

Bindu Dara Singh, son of the late wrestler/actor Dara Singh who had played the iconic role of Lord Hanuman in Ramnand Sagar’s Ramayana, will follow in the footsteps of his father by essaying the same role in the Ramleela in Ayodhya.

Manoj Tewari, actor-turned-BJP MP from north-east Delhi, will play the character of Angad, son of king Bali of Kishkindha, while famous Bhojpuri actor and now Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan will play the character of Bharat, lord Ram’s younger brother.

If the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic subsides by then, spectators will be allowed to witness the grand Ramleela. Otherwise, the week–long show will be streamed live on social networking platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. It will also be telecast live on national broadcaster Doordarshan and other entertainment channels.

After the BJP formed government in the state in March 2017, the Yogi government has been organising grand Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya on Diwali eve.

The state government organised three successive Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya in 2017, 2018 and 2019 with chief minister Yogi Adityanath presiding over these celebrations.

However, due to Covid-19 pandemic Deepotsav celebrations will not be on a grand scale this year.