AP PHOTOS: Performers bring Hindu gods to life in the Ramleela

NEW DELHI (AP) — 23-year old Ashutosh Agnihotri has been playing god this week.

Ahead of the Dussehra festival, which celebrates the defeat of mythological demon Ravana, at the hands of Lord Rama, artists dressed in ornate crowns and costumes perform the Ramleela, a dramatic re-enactment of Lord Rama’s life as told in the religious epic Ramayana.

Performing as one of Hindu-majority India’s most beloved gods means living up to the values enshrined in his inspiring life story, says Agnihotri, the actor playing Lord Rama.

The former technology professional-turned-actor is trying to keep his anger in check during the 10-day run of the Ramleela in a New Delhi park.

“Well, I get angry. God does not get angry easily,” he says. “When you have played the character of god, you realize how you should live your life as a human being. God has shown you everything.”

Usually performed on a brightly lit open stage, the Ramleela brings alive one of the most enduring tales in Hindu religion, symbolizing the victory of good over evil and blending collective devotion with popular culture.

It tells the story of Lord Rama’s exile with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman, Sita’s abduction by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana, and the grand battle for her ultimate rescue.

The scenes include song and dance, narration and melodramatic dialogue, with a live orchestra using local instruments like drums and the harmonium to keep the audience engaged.

What the production lacks in technological sophistication, it makes up with sheer ingenuity.

The man in charge of special effects holds a flame behind the actor playing the ten-headed Ravana, whose raucous laughter fills the air as smoke machines throw up plumes of color.

Rakesh Ratnakar, 65, a retired drama teacher who has been directing Ramleela performances in New Delhi for years, brought together a motley crew of actors, technicians and make-up artists, many travelling from other cities.

Days of rehearsals, hours of makeup, and pounds of heavy costume go into the production.

Funds for the show are collected from donors. While the tale may be traditional, digital technology and social media have helped in reaching contemporary audiences. The demon king Ravana is the most sought after for selfies with fans.

For Ratnakar, putting the show together is a labour of love, and devotion. The show ends every night with ritual prayers.

Lord Rama represents “the essence” of India, he says, and his life story will help safeguard both the Hindu religion and India’s culture.

21-year old Hitanshi Jha, who plays the role of Sita, believes that a divine hand guides her performance.

“Meaning everything happens automatically. I don’t say anything on stage, God himself makes it happen,” she says.

The day of the Dussehra festival also marks the end of the five-day Durga Puja festival, the biggest holiday for India’s Bengali community. Thousands gather at temporary shrines to the Hindu goddess Durga, who is seen as the mother of the universe and worshipped for her fearsome power.

As the actors in Delhi finish their show, they seek the director’s blessings, bowing down in front of their guru.

Then the makeup comes off and costumes are packed away, and the crew gathers for a meal, relaxing in their dressing room in a tent provided by a charitable group.

Time to catch up on real lives and sleep, before another day of playing gods.

Characters playing the Hindu God Rama and his brother Laxmana touch the feet of the theatre director Rakesh Ratnakar at end of the third day of Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A production assistant holds a fire stick sitting behind Vikas Sirswal, 32, who is playing the demon king Ravana onstage, during Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi,India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Actors perform onstage in Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Children performing the characters of foot soldiers in Vanar Sena, or monkey brigade, wait backstage for their turn to perform in Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Actors performing in Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, rest at their rented accommodation in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Hitanshi Jha, 21, an actor playing the character of Sita, second right, takes dinner with other actors after performing in Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Ashutosh Agnihotri, 23, playing the character of Hindu god Rama, left, rests backstage as Hitanshi Jha, 21, playing the character of Sita, ties her hair at the end of the third day of Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Actors take off their makeup off backstage after performing in Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Production assistants sort costumes backstage during Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A child reacts as Vikas Sirswal, 32, playing the character of the demon king Ravana, walks past after performing in Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Ashutosh Agnihotri, 23, playing the character of Hindu god Rama, sitting to the right of the partition, waits with others to go onstage during Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Theatre director Rakesh Ratnakar, 65, sings from the music pit during Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

An actor dressed as a deer waits for the cue to go onstage during Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Ashutosh Agnihotri, 23, playing the character of Hindu god Rama, left, talks to Hitanshi Jha, 21, playing the character of Sita backstage during Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

An actor takes directions backstage before the start of Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Theatre director Rakesh Ratnakar, 65, gives instructions to the actors backstage before the start of Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

An actor rehearses his lines backstage before the start of Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Actors rehearse their lines backstage before the start of Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Vikas Sirswal, 32, right, playing the character of the demon king Ravana and Hitanshi Jha, 21, playing the character of Sita perform onstage during Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Actors get ready backstage before the start of Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A makeup artist gets an actor ready backstage before the start of Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Hindu god Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Ashutosh Agnihotri, 23, right, playing the character of Hindu god Rama, rehearses his lines backstage before the start of Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Hitanshi Jha, 21, center, playing the character of Hindu god Rama's wife Sita, gets ready backstage for Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Two actors who played Hindu god Rama, sitting, and his brother Laxman, standing next to him in the center, wait on the stage at the end of the third day of Ramleela, a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, as event organizers and donors pray to them, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Becky Pepper-Jackson finished third in the discus throw in West Virginia last year though she was in just her first year of high school. Now a 15-year-old sophomore, Pepper-Jackson is aware that her upcoming season could be her last.

West Virginia has banned transgender girls like Pepper-Jackson from competing in girls and women's sports, and is among the more than two dozen states with similar laws. Though the West Virginia law has been blocked by lower courts, the outcome could be different at the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, which has allowed multiple restrictions on transgender people to be enforced in the past year.

The justices are hearing arguments Tuesday in two cases over whether the sports bans violate the Constitution or the landmark federal law known as Title IX that prohibits sex discrimination in education. The second case comes from Idaho, where college student Lindsay Hecox challenged that state's law.

Decisions are expected by early summer.

President Donald Trump's Republican administration has targeted transgender Americans from the first day of his second term, including ousting transgender people from the military and declaring that gender is immutable and determined at birth.

Pepper-Jackson has become the face of the nationwide battle over the participation of transgender girls in athletics that has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness for women and girls.

“I think it’s something that needs to be done,” Pepper-Jackson said in an interview with The Associated Press that was conducted over Zoom. “It’s something I’m here to do because ... this is important to me. I know it’s important to other people. So, like, I’m here for it.”

She sat alongside her mother, Heather Jackson, on a sofa in their home just outside Bridgeport, a rural West Virginia community about 40 miles southwest of Morgantown, to talk about a legal fight that began when she was a middle schooler who finished near the back of the pack in cross-country races.

Pepper-Jackson has grown into a competitive discus and shot put thrower. In addition to the bronze medal in the discus, she finished eighth among shot putters.

She attributes her success to hard work, practicing at school and in her backyard, and lifting weights. Pepper-Jackson has been taking puberty-blocking medication and has publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade, though the Supreme Court's decision in June upholding state bans on gender-affirming medical treatment for minors has forced her to go out of state for care.

Her very improvement as an athlete has been cited as a reason she should not be allowed to compete against girls.

“There are immutable physical and biological characteristic differences between men and women that make men bigger, stronger, and faster than women. And if we allow biological males to play sports against biological females, those differences will erode the ability and the places for women in these sports which we have fought so hard for over the last 50 years,” West Virginia's attorney general, JB McCuskey, said in an AP interview. McCuskey said he is not aware of any other transgender athlete in the state who has competed or is trying to compete in girls or women’s sports.

Despite the small numbers of transgender athletes, the issue has taken on outsize importance. The NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees banned transgender women from women's sports after Trump signed an executive order aimed at barring their participation.

The public generally is supportive of the limits. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in October 2025 found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults “strongly” or “somewhat” favored requiring transgender children and teenagers to only compete on sports teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with, while about 2 in 10 were “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed and about one-quarter did not have an opinion.

About 2.1 million adults, or 0.8%, and 724,000 people age 13 to 17, or 3.3%, identify as transgender in the U.S., according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

Those allied with the administration on the issue paint it in broader terms than just sports, pointing to state laws, Trump administration policies and court rulings against transgender people.

"I think there are cultural, political, legal headwinds all supporting this notion that it’s just a lie that a man can be a woman," said John Bursch, a lawyer with the conservative Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom that has led the legal campaign against transgender people. “And if we want a society that respects women and girls, then we need to come to terms with that truth. And the sooner that we do that, the better it will be for women everywhere, whether that be in high school sports teams, high school locker rooms and showers, abused women’s shelters, women’s prisons.”

But Heather Jackson offered different terms to describe the effort to keep her daughter off West Virginia's playing fields.

“Hatred. It’s nothing but hatred,” she said. "This community is the community du jour. We have a long history of isolating marginalized parts of the community.”

Pepper-Jackson has seen some of the uglier side of the debate on display, including when a competitor wore a T-shirt at the championship meet that said, “Men Don't Belong in Women's Sports.”

“I wish these people would educate themselves. Just so they would know that I’m just there to have a good time. That’s it. But it just, it hurts sometimes, like, it gets to me sometimes, but I try to brush it off,” she said.

One schoolmate, identified as A.C. in court papers, said Pepper-Jackson has herself used graphic language in sexually bullying her teammates.

Asked whether she said any of what is alleged, Pepper-Jackson said, “I did not. And the school ruled that there was no evidence to prove that it was true.”

The legal fight will turn on whether the Constitution's equal protection clause or the Title IX anti-discrimination law protects transgender people.

The court ruled in 2020 that workplace discrimination against transgender people is sex discrimination, but refused to extend the logic of that decision to the case over health care for transgender minors.

The court has been deluged by dueling legal briefs from Republican- and Democratic-led states, members of Congress, athletes, doctors, scientists and scholars.

The outcome also could influence separate legal efforts seeking to bar transgender athletes in states that have continued to allow them to compete.

If Pepper-Jackson is forced to stop competing, she said she will still be able to lift weights and continue playing trumpet in the school concert and jazz bands.

“It will hurt a lot, and I know it will, but that’s what I’ll have to do,” she said.

Heather Jackson, left, and Becky Pepper-Jackson pose for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Heather Jackson, left, and Becky Pepper-Jackson pose for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Becky Pepper-Jackson poses for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Supreme Court stands is Washington, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Protestors hold signs during a rally at the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Jackson, file)