Setu: The Bridge

Please join us via livestream or in-person at the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple at Mount Madonna for a celebratory event! In honor of Diwali, the Bay Area Ram Leela Mandali (RLMZ) will present a special musical theater performance. Featuring Bay Area artists and a full musical ensemble, and written and directed by Paramesh Gopi, this theatrical event will share stories and symbolism from the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana.

Diwali is traditionally a five-day festival that honors the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. It’s also known as the Festival of Lights, and is celebrated by people of a wide variety of faiths, including Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists.

Setu is a Sanskrit word that means “bridge” and in the tale of the Ramayana, a bridge was built by a legion of monkeys and bears to bring Prince Ram from mainland India to the Island of Lanka (modern day Sri Lanka) to rescue his wife, the Princess Sita, from the ten-headed demon king Ravana. The reuniting of Ram and Sita symbolizes the joining of the light of pure consciousness merging with the “you” and “I,” allowing liberation to unfold.

Ram Lila Mandali has been coming for many years to the Temple and Mount Madonna, presenting theatrical performances of parts drawn from the Ramayana in song, music and narration. They often focus on the Sundara Kand which is Hanuman’s leap to Lanka in the search for Sita.