Historic Nanda Devi Ramlila of Almora: On the Seventh Day, Ravana Abducts Sita with the Help of Maricha
Almora. The cultural city of Almora, known for its traditions, witnessed the seventh day of the historic Nanda Devi Ramlila, the oldest in the Kumaon region, on Friday evening at the Nanda Devi temple premises. A massive crowd of devotees gathered to witness the powerful enactments of Ravana–Maricha dialogue, Sita Haran, Lord Ram’s grief, and the Shabari episode.
Maricha’s role was impressively portrayed by Siddharth Sah, while Hari Vinod Sah gave a strong performance as Ravana. Lord Ram was enacted by Dron Negi, Lakshman by Aviral Joshi, and Sita by Kiran Pargai. The golden deer was played by Aditya Gururani, and the ascetic form of Ravana by Paritosh Joshi. The Shabari scene was beautifully brought to life by Sangeeta Pandey, with devotional singing by Anil Sanwal and Suman Sanwal.
The evening began with Shri Ram Stuti followed by Saraswati Vandana performed by children. Participants included Jivika Pathak, Harshita Pandey, Anjali Thapa, Kanishka Pandey, Srishti Upreti, Komal Kandpal, Manvi Bora, and Kavya Kandpal. Musical support came from Mohan Joshi on the harmonium, Shekhar Sijwali on tabla, and Arjun Bisht on manjira.
The event was inaugurated by lighting of the ceremonial lamp by chief guest former MLA Kailash Sharma, special guest Anand Singh Bagadwal (educationist and former chairman, Almora Urban Cooperative Bank), district panchayat member Prem Latwal, Narendra Lal Sah (vice president, Provincial Industries and Trade Board), Virendra Singh Bisht (president, Gram Vikas Lekha Sangh Almora), and Mohan Bhandari.
Speaking on the occasion, chief guest Kailash Sharma said, “The life of Lord Ram inspires us to follow truth and righteousness, honor our parents, face every difficulty with patience, and stand firm against injustice.” Special guest Anand Singh Bagadwal added that “Lord Ram was the ideal son, brother, and king—the epitome of dignity whose life shows us the right path.”
The Ramlila Committee, led by president and Lala Bazaar ward councillor Kuldeep Singh Mer, convener senior journalist Prakash Pandey, co-convener Sanjay Sah, and director Ganesh Mer, welcomed the guests with Ram Prasadi. Secretary and Nanda Devi ward councillor Arjun Singh Bisht conducted the proceedings.
Stage design and set creation—such as Panchavati and the Shabari hermitage—were beautifully executed by Atul Verma, Mahendra Bisht, Sandeep Sah, Rajkumar Bisht, Kavish Arora, Jagdish Bisht, Rajesh Pant, Jagdish Bhandari, and Lokesh Tiwari. Makeup was done by Danish and Raju Sharma, while the rituals were performed by chief priest Tara Datt Joshi.
The performance was streamed live on social media by Naman Bisht, while seating arrangements for devotees were managed by Rajesh Palni and treasurer Dhananjay Sah.
A large number of dignitaries, including Manoj Verma, Tara Chand Joshi, Anil Sanwal, Anup Sah, Deepak Verma, Subhash Agrawal, Shashi Mohan Pandey, Pankaj Pargai, Sunder Bora, Amit Upreti, and others, were present.
The powerful performances left the audience deeply moved, and the temple premises resonated with chants of “Jai Shri Ram.”
