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Ram Barat in Agra
A god's wedding party moves all night through Agra to the bride's palace
Stand on an Agra street in the nights before Dussehra as a marriage procession for Rama moves through the city to a purpose-built Janakpuri, with silver-leafed chariots, illuminated tableaux and three days of crowds.
Where to watch
from Lala Channomalji Ki Baradari through the old city to the Janakpuri venue, Agra
Free viewing
- The whole procession, on the street: find a place along the route in the old city on the evening of Day 1 and expect to stand for hours (in 2025 the barat left Lala Channomal's Baradari at 18:00 and reached Janakpuri by morning)
- Janakpuri and the lit Janak Mahal, open to all on the evenings after the procession
Programme
Day 1
The barat sets out: the wedding procession of Rama travelling to Janakpuri to marry Sita, staged at a scale that has few parallels in north India. Sita's dola is carried through the neighbourhood and the procession moves towards Janakpuri. It sets off in the evening (18:00 in 2025) and runs deep into the night.
Agra, from the host locality towards Janakpuri
Days 2–4
The wedding of Rama and Sita is performed, with darshan and aarti at the Janak Mahal (a temporary palace built for the occasion and lit up for public viewing), plus public gatherings and cultural programmes
Janakpuri (the host neighbourhood changes each year), Agra