Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the traditional Ramman of the Garhwal Himalayas is one of the unique aspects of Uttarakhand’s culture which remains largely neglected in the State despite international acclaim.
Every year the Ramman festival is held at Salood Dungra in late April. Though there are historical accounts of the pre-existing tradition since 1911, the tradition of Ramman is considered to be much older. The Ramman is made up of complex rituals, recitation of a regional version of Ramayana and various legends along with performance of folk songs and dance by select villagers wearing special masks.
Combining music, theatre, historical reconstructions along with traditional written and oral tales, the Ramman is a multifarious religious folk tradition which reflects the spiritual, cultural and environmental concept of the community. Observers opine that the aesthetic and artistic aspects of Ramman have elicited lesser focus and acknowledgement than the spiritual aspect. As an art form, it combines religious, ritual, customary, social and historical dimensions with oral, literary, visual, kinetic and traditional craft forms.
Though villagers and local devotees in this region still celebrate Ramman with much enthusiasm, factors like varied technological developments, historical amnesia and lack of financial or artistic compensation have had an adverse impact on the ritual and traditional performances of the Ramman.