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Ramlila
 Ramlila, the enactment of the story of Lord Rama is believed to have been started by great Saint Tulsidas. The
Ramcharitmanas, on paper by him till today forms the basis of Ram Lila performances.
In some places, Rama Lila is related with Vijayadashmi celebrations in late September and early October and also with
Rama Navami, the birthday of Lord Rama.
Ram lila, basically an enactment of a myth, is presented as a cycle-play with the story varying from 7 to 31 days. The
Rama Lila performance evokes a festive atmosphere and enables observance of religious rites.
It is also rich in performance of crafts such as costume jewelry, masks, headgear, make-up and
decoration. The four main Ram Lila styles are the pantomimic style with a predominance of jhankis - tableaux pageants; the dialogue - based style with multi-local staging; the operative style which draws its musical elements from the folk operas of the region and the stage - Ram Lila of the professional troupes called
`mandalis'.
Ayodhya is well-liked for mandali Ram Lila. The show is dialogue - based and presented on a platform stage. High standard of presentation is complemented by songs and kathak dances and eye-catching decoration.
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