ગુજરાતી લોકરામાયણ

Summary

This paper surveys the various folk renditions of the Rāmāyaṇa that circulate in Gujarati communities. The author catalogues oral and written forms such as Bhavai performances, devotional ballads, women’s songs and manuscript versions composed by local poets. These retellings often localise the epic: settings shift to familiar landscapes, dialectal vocabulary replaces classical Sanskrit, and social values reflect the concerns of caste and village life. The article provides examples of episodes where Sītā’s agency is emphasised or where minor characters receive expanded roles. It also notes the influence of Jain and Swaminarayan traditions on the narrative motifs. By analysing these variants, the author demonstrates that the Rāmāyaṇa functions as a living text that communities continually reinterpret. The study argues for preserving these dynamic traditions and for recognising folk literature as an important source of cultural history alongside classical texts.