Ram Barat is part of the celebration of Ramlila in Agra, India. It is among North India’s largest annual events. Literally, Ram Barat means “Shri Ram’s Baraat (marriage procession). A new locality is chosen in Agra each year and is elaborately decorated with flowers and lights. The area is given a major facelift appropriate for the position of the divine union.
The Ram Barat is conducted at about the end of the Navratri season and before the start of Dussehra. The Ram Barat is made twice as special with a three-day procession that is the center of attraction during the festival. This procession is supposed to be a sign of the wedding procession that brought the bridegroom all the way to the Janak Mahal.
It is said that the history of Ram Barat dates back to about 125 years, when Lala Kokamal, a renowned businessman, started the custom of three days of festivities, revolving around the royal wedding. His impact on this festival was so great that the road from which Baraat proceeds was called ‘Lala Kokamal Marg’ and the grounds where Ram Lila is being held are called after Lala Kokamal. In 1966, when his son Radharaman died, he took over as Ramlila’s secretary until his death in 1978.
Until their death in 2016, his youngest son, Raj Narain, was the treasurer of Ramlila, and his grandson, Hari kishan Agarwal, was the vice president of this prestigious society. Now Lala Kokamal’s Grandson Rajeev K Agarwal has also begun to devote his time to the mega event, primarily by supporting fundraising activities.
