Hanuman Jayanti

Ram Navami is a Hindu festival, celebrated in praise of Lord Rama who is believed to be the 7th incarnation of Vishnu on earth. The Rama Navami festival is observed on the birth day of Shri Ram which falls in the Shukla Paksha Navami that is the ninth day of the lunar month following New Moon day, in the month of Chaitra of Hindu calendar. This day is also referred as Chaitra Masa Shukla Paksha Navami, marking the end of the nine-day Chaitra-Navratri rituals.

Ram Navami festival celebrations go for nine days at some places, Ram devotees observing fast during daytime during all the nine days, the period being called 'Sri Rama Navratra'. The celebrations will in the form of continuous and chorus recitals, AkhandPaath, mostly telling conveying the admirable deeds of Shri Ram, called Ramacharitamanas, with puja and aarti followed by distribution of Prasad. The Prasad, which is the worshipped food, would normally have soaked green gram dhal and diluted buttermilk, which are considered Rama’s favourites.

Dolls depicting the child form of Sri Rama are laid on cradles and the devotees would rock them as if putting the Child Rama in comfortable sleep. Rama being the 7th incarnation of Vishnu born at noon, puja rituals and celebrations would commence right from the morning of Ram Navami day. The rituals at the Temples would include Vedic recitals by organizing special ‘havan’s which part is for invoking deities through Fire.

Bhadrachalam, the town in Andhra Pradesh, is known for Rama worship and there Ram Navami is also celebrated along with the wedding anniversary of Sri Rama. In this celebration, the celestial wedding function of Shri Ram and his consort Sita will be enacted as Sitarama Kalyanam. It is also to be noted that the marriage celebration of Shri Ram is conducted at Mithila, the birth place of Sita and Ayodhya, the birth place of Rama, during another day called Vivaha Panchami in accordance with Valmiki Ramayana tradition.
Ram Navami is celebrated with grandeur particularly in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, Sitamarhi in Bihar, Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh, Rameswaram in Tamilnadu, and the celebrations would include Rath Yatras, in which Ram, Sita, Hanuman, Lakshman, all of them taken in procession with pomp and furor.

History

Hinduism and its code of ethics is mostly governed by two epics Ramayan and Mahabharat, Ram the hero of the first is considered the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Krishna the hero of the second considered the ninth incarnation of the Lord.  Likewise, amidst the time cycles of four ‘Yuga’s, Ram was born in Treta Yuga and Krishna was born in the later Dwapara Yuga. The current world is undergoing the period of Kali Yuga, when the Lord is expected to incarnate as Kalki.

The faith and devotion upon Ram among Hindus is inexplicable. Apart from devout and orthodox Hindus do their ritualistic prayers to Ram and Krishna as Deities, Ram is a soul searching Devta to every Indian. As the disciplined son of Emperor Dhashrat, Ram keeps up his father’s promise to his step mother by submitting to 14 years exile to the forest, leaving the Kingdom to his step-brother Bharat. Likewise, Ram is known for his faithful attitude to marriage, by keeping himself not thinking of any other woman while he gets separated from his wife Sita for many years. Besides these two qualities, every Hindu believes that Praying Ram would bring them all prosperity and good things, particularly when his ardent Devotee Hanuman would be the savior of anyone who praises Ram and prays him for help.

It is based on these sentiments and faith, Ram Navami is celebrated with utmost sincerity in all the parts of the country and those who observe the nine days fasting around that period will be well protected in life with assured comforts.

Celebrations

Ram Navami is celebrated throughout India almost in the same fashion each region adopting a few fervors special to that region. The Hindu families in South India perform Kalyanotsavam (marriage celebration) with icons of Rama and Sita in small size at homes and in some villages the murti idols are taken on a procession on the streets.  In Maharashtra Ram Navami also marks the completion of the nine-day Chaitra Navaratri rituals, while in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and the regions around Vasanthothsava (the festival of spring), is celebrated, some considering Shri Ram’s date of birth as January 10, 5114 B.C.E.

The Prayer rooms at houses, they give sacred bath to the icons of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman, on Sri Rama Navami and also distribute a sweet drink made of Jaggery and Ginger, called ‘panakam’ and diluted buttermilk and the festivities are organized during day time.

On this occasion devout Hindus observefast and few other Vedic stipulations confining themselves to austerities prescribed by Veda Dharma. They specially decorate the Rama shrines in the temples, conduct rituals for Sri Rama, Sita, Rama's wife, also Lakshmana, Rama's brother, while large number of devotees worship Hanuman, the monkey God and an ardent devotee of Shri Ram.

Importance of Festival

The devotees of Shri Ram observe strict fast on Ram Navami, as Ram Navamivrata is considered to be one of the five most important austerities observed in the olden times. Ancient religious texts prescribe, that  Ram Navami‘vrat’ must  be observed by every Hindu, that being the only way  of gaining happiness in the material world, as one  attains salvation simultaneously.

Most Visited Places

The major spots where Ram Navami celebration is performed include Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, which is Ram's birth place, Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh, nearer to which place Shri Ram and Sita have stayed in a hut during their exile from Ayodhya, and Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu from which place Shri Ram constructed a bridge to Lanka to get back Sita who was held there by Ravan as a hostage. Large number of devotees visits these places during Ram Navami.

As people visit Rameshwaram during Ram Navami, they also take sacred bath in the Sea there, besides having wash in a number of wells inside the Ramanathaswamy temple at Rameshwaram, which is considered equal to taking bath at Varanasi.

In many modern Shrines, such as Sri Sri Radha Rasa Bihari Temple, which is a part of The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Juhu, Ram Navami is celebrated attracting almost 30,000 devotees on the occasion.

Photo Gallery