Celebrated with great enthusiasm by all Hindus, the festival of Ram Navami has arrived once again. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival falls every year in the Shukla Paksha at 9th day in the month of Chaitra to mark the birthday of Lord Rama. This year the festival will be celebrated all over India April 5th, i.e. Wednesday.
Muhurata
Rama Navami Puja: from 11:05 am to 1:32 pm
Complete duration of puja will be: 2 hours and 27 mins
History: Ayodhya’s King Dasharatha and Kausalya’s son Rama was the 7th avatar of the Lord Vishnu who took birth to come to the Earth to finish Adharma and protect people’s well-being. Rama’s values and rule wooed the people of Ayodhya and in honour of their king Ayodhya Vasi later started celebrating the birthday of Rama as ‘Ram Navami’. Since then the tradition continues.
Significance: To mark the birthday of Lord Rama, Hindus celebrate this festival as a 9-day celebration by organising the Akhand Path of the Ramacharitamanas, religious Bhajan, Havana, ritual kirtan and distribution of Prasad after the Aarti at 9th day. It indicates the victory of goodness and defeat of evil power and the establishment of the Dharma after removal of Adharma.
Celebrations: Hindu devotees offer prayers to Lord Rama on this day and chant Vedic mantras, Aarti, and religious songs. At some places in India, the festival usually lasts nine days, beginning on Ugadi and ending on Rama Navami. Sacred places associated with Rama, like Ayodhya, Ujjain and Rameshwaram, draw thousands of devotees on this day.
Southern Indians celebrate this festival as a wedding anniversary of Lord Rama from Mata Sita. In Rameshwaram, people take a ritual bath in the sea before worshipping at the Ramanathaswamy temple. At some places, the chariot procession of Lord Rama, Mata Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman is carried out by the thousands of people after taking a holy dip in the sacred rivers.
