The residential palace of the Naresh is the
Ramnagar Fort at
Ramnagar near Varanasi, which is next to the river
Ganges. The fort was built on the instructions of Maharaja Balwant Singh with creamy
chunar sandstone in the eighteenth century. It is a typically
Mughal style of architecture with carved balconies, open courtyards, and picturesque pavilions. Kashi Naresh donated over 1,300 acres (5.3 km2) of land on the outskirts of the city to build the campus of
Banaras Hindu University. On 28 January 1983, the
Kashi Vishwanath Temple was taken over by the government of
Uttar Pradesh and its management was transferred to a trust, with the late
Vibhuti Narayan Singh, then
Kashi Naresh, as president, and an executive committee with the Divisional Commissioner as chairman.
Ram Leela at Ramnagar When the
Dussehra festivities are inaugurated with a colourful pageant, the Kashi Naresh rides an elephant at the head of the procession. Then, resplendent in silk and brocade, he inaugurates the month-long
folk theatre of
Ramlila at Ramnagar. The
Ramlila is a cycle of plays which recounts the epic story of
Rama, as told in
Ramcharitmanas, the version of the
Ramayana written by
Tulsidas. The plays, sponsored by the Maharaja, are performed in Ramnagar every evening for 31 days. On the last day the festivities reach a crescendo as Rama vanquishes the demon king
Ravana. Maharaja
Udit Narayan Singh started this tradition of staging the
Ramleela at Ramnagar in the mid-nineteenth century. Over a million pilgrims arrive annually for the vast processions and performances organized by the Kashi Naresh. It has been recognized as an intangible world cultural heritage by UNESCO. ==Geography==