Ramnagar is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, just outside of Varanasi city and a

municipal board A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

Varanasi district Varanasi district is a district in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, with Varanasi city as the district headquarters. It is surrounded by Mirzapur district, Jaunpur district, Ghazipur district, Chandauli district, and Bhadohi distric ...

in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. Ramnagar has a fort known as

Ramnagar Fort The Ramnagar Fort is a fortification in Ramnagar, Varanasi, India. It is located near the Ganges on its eastern bank, opposite to the Tulsi Ghat. The sandstone structure was built in the Rajputana style in 1750 by Kashi Naresh Maharaja Balwa ...

which is still the residence of King of Varanasi (Benares). He was known as

Kashi Naresh Maharaja Vibhuti Narayan Singh (5 November 1927 – 25 December 2000) was the king of Benares, a city considered holy, located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He was the last Bhumihar king of the Kingdom of Kashi. Childhood Vibhuti Nara ...

meaning king of Kashi (Ancient name of Beneres) and is still regarded by old residents of the city of

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

and its museum are the repository of the history of the kings of

Benares Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tra ...

and since the 18th century has been the home of

. Even today the

is deeply revered by the people of

. He is the religious head and the people of

consider him the incarnation of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. He is also the chief cultural patron and an essential part of all religious celebrations. Ramnagar is popular for

Ramlila Ramlila (Rāmlīlā) (literally 'Rama's lila or play') is any dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' or secondary literature based on it such as the ''Ramcharitmanas''. It particularly ...

that is held annually under the aegis of King of Varanasi Recently Ramnagar has emerged as a favourite spot for shooting movies because of the scenic location of the Ramnagar Fort (residence of the King of Varanasi) near the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

. Chokher Bali, Raanjhanaa are one of the popular movies shot here. Amazon Prime web series Mirzapur and Anurag Kashyap Gangs of Wasseypur was also shot in Ramnagar. The town has many century-old houses and structures near the fort area.

History

The Ramnagar Fort was built by

Raja Balwant Singh with creamy ''chunar''

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

in the eighteenth century. It is a typically Mughal style of

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

with carved balconies, open courtyards, and picturesque pavilions. Ramnagar Fort in Varanasi

Ramlila

Over a million pilgrims arrive annually for the vast processions and performances of

organized by Kashi Naresh. The Ramlila of Ramnagar basically operated by Maharaja of Banaras with the help of Pt. Laxmi Narayan Pandey and his cultural family every year. It is one of the majestic show which happens once in the year every time. The venues are well scattered across Ramnagar, Lanka, Janakpuri, PAC and several small areas.

Demographics

As of the 2001 Census of India, Ramnagar had a population of 39,941. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Ramnagar has an average literacy rate of 58%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 66%, and female literacy is 49%. In Ramnagar, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

References

External links

Images of the famous Ramnagar Ramlila

Ramnagar Fort
{{Authority control Census towns in Varanasi district Cities and towns in Varanasi district Tourism in Uttar Pradesh