Ramnagar is a city, just adjacent to Varanasi city and a

municipal board A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

Varanasi district Varanasi district is a district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, with the holy city of Varanasi as the district headquarters. It is also the headquarters of the Varanasi division which contains 4 districts (including Varanasi). It is s ...

in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. Ramnagar has a fort known as Ramnagar Fort which is still the residence of King of Varanasi (Benares). He was known as Kashi Naresh meaning king of Kashi (Ancient name of Beneres) and is still regarded by old residents of the city of

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or 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 tradition of I ...

. Ramnagar Fort and its museum are the repository of the history of the kings of

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

and since the 18th century has been the home of Kashi Naresh. Even today the Kashi Naresh is deeply revered by the people of

. He is the religious head and the people of

consider him the incarnation of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

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

Ramlila Ramlila or Ramleela (; 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 particular ...

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 which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

. Chokher Bali,

Raanjhanaa ''Raanjhanaa'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Aanand L. Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma. The film is produced by Krishika Lulla under the banner of Eros International. It stars Dhanush (in his Hindi fil ...

are one of the popular movies shot here.

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

web series

Mirzapur Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the tradition of kajari and birha music. Straddled by the Kaimur extension of Vindhya mountains, it served as the headquarters of t ...

and

Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to films, the Government of France made him a Knight of the Ordre ...

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 Kashi Naresh Raja Balwant Singh with creamy ''chunar''

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

in the eighteenth century. It is a typically

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

style of architecture 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.

Geographical indication

Ramnagar Bhanta (Brinjal) was awarded the

Geographical Indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...

(GI) status tag from the Geographical Indications Registry, under the

Union Government of India The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territo ...

, on 31 March 2023 and is valid until 3 November 2030. Kashi Vishwanath Farmer Producer Company from

, proposed the GI registration of Ramnagar Bhanta (Brinjal). After filing the application in November 2020, the Brinjal was granted the GI tag in 2023 by the Geographical Indication Registry in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, making the name "Ramnagar Bhanta (Brinjal)" exclusive to the Brinjal grown in the region. It thus became the first brinjal variety from Uttar Pradesh and the 45th type of goods from Uttar Pradesh to earn the GI tag. The GI tag protects the brinjal from illegal selling and marketing, and gives it legal protection and a unique identity.

Demographics

As of the

2001 Census of India The 2001 census of India was the 14th in a series of censuses held in India every decade since 1871. The population of India was counted as 1,028,737,436 consisting of 532,223,090 males and 496,514,346 females. The total population increased b ...

, 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