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Shri Ram Janmabhoomi
Tulsi Smarak Bhawan in Ayodhya: memorial to the poet-saint Goswami Tulsidas, author of the Ramcharitmanas

Tulsi Smarak Bhawan, Ayodhya: Memorial to Goswami Tulsidas

A complete guide to Tulsi Smarak Bhawan (Tulsidas Bhawan) at Ayodhya: the memorial to the 16th-century poet-saint Goswami Tulsidas, author of the Ramcharitmanas, the daily Ramleela performances held here, and the institute's library and research centre.

Tulsi Smarak Bhawan (commonly Tulsidas Bhawan) is the memorial in Ayodhya dedicated to Goswami Tulsidas (c. 1532–1623 CE): the 16th-century poet-saint whose Ramcharitmanas is, alongside the Sanskrit Valmiki Ramayana, the most beloved and recited devotional epic of north India. Beyond his epic, Tulsidas wrote the Vinaya Patrika, the Kavitavali, and the much-loved Hanuman Chalisa.

The poet of the Ramcharitmanas

Tulsidas composed the Ramcharitmanas in the Awadhi language: the local speech of the Ayodhya region: beginning the work in 1574 CE in Ayodhya itself, on the day of Ram Navami. He chose Awadhi over Sanskrit deliberately: he wanted the story of Rama to be available not only to scholars but to the cultivator, the soldier, the housewife: to anyone in the lanes of Ayodhya, Kashi, and Avadh.

The Ramcharitmanas is recited daily in millions of homes across north India and the Indian diaspora; its dohas (couplets) are memorised in school and quoted in conversation. The Hanuman Chalisa: recited every Tuesday and Saturday by countless devotees: is among the most-spoken devotional texts on Earth.

The Bhawan today

Tulsi Smarak Bhawan was established by the Government of Uttar Pradesh in 1969 to honour Tulsidas’s connection to Ayodhya. It serves three functions:

  1. A memorial: with images of Tulsidas, his manuscripts, and an audio gallery of recitations of the Ramcharitmanas in the major regional styles.
  2. A research institute (Shodh Sansthan): with a substantial library of Ramayana-related literature in Sanskrit, Awadhi, Hindi, English, and other languages, frequented by scholars and PhD students.
  3. A daily Ramleela venue: where a Ramleela performance is staged every evening from approximately 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, year-round, free for the public to attend. Visiting devotees consider this one of the most authentic Ramleela experiences in India.

Visiting

  • Timings: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm for the museum and library; Ramleela every evening 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm.
  • The Bhawan is in the central Ayodhya area, walking distance from Hanuman Garhi and Kanak Bhawan.
  • Tulsi Jayanti (Shravan Shukla Saptami, around July–August): Tulsidas’s birth anniversary: is celebrated with special programmes.
  • Vivah Panchami (late November / early December): the marriage of Rama and Sita: sees the most elaborate Ramleela performances of the year here.
  • Photography is permitted in the museum but not during Ramleela performances.

Nearby

Kanak Bhawan · Hanuman Garhi · Mani Parbat · Sarayu

Sources & References

  • Tulsidas: Ramcharitmanas (composed circa 1574 CE, Awadhi)
  • Tulsidas: Vinaya Patrika, Kavitavali
  • District Gazetteer of Faizabad