Sri Rama Navami

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Sri Rama Navami is a Hindu festival that is celebrated as the birthday of god Rama. It is the day on which Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, born as a human in the land of Ayodhya. The festival is celebrated every year on the ninth day in the month of Chaitra (April/May) according to Hindu calender, i.e., 8 days after Ugadi. The word “Rama” means the one who is divinely blissful and who gives joy to others, and the one in whom the sages rejoice. Sri Rama Navami is designated as a public holiday in various parts of india.

History and Significance

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Lord Rama is an avatar of lord Vishnu who was born as a human to battle the invincible ten headed demon king Ravana of Lanka. Lord Brahma gave Ravana a boon that he could not be killed by a god. Ravana was very confident that he could not be killed by a human being. Later Lord Brahma received so many complaints from all the gods about the havoc that Ravana was creating on earth. So Lord Vishnu had to reincarnate in the human form on the earth as Rama, the son of the Ayodhya King Dasharatha. Lord Rama came to the earth to perform a special responsibility. That is to destroy the demon king Ravana and to maintain the Dharma.

How the festival is celebrated

In India, the Hindu families clean and decorate their houses with flowers and the entrance doors get decorated with a strip of mango leaves. Fruits and flowers are placed as offerings to the god. Many devotees fast on this auspicious day. Lord Rama figurines are richly adorned and special prayers are offered to the God. People in the southern region of India generally perform the Kalyanotsavam, means marriage celebration of the Lord Rama and Sita. They celebrate it at the day of Navami having the statue of Hindu deities called Rama and Sita in their houses. They perform a procession on the streets taking statues of the deities at the end of day to celebrate the Ram Navami.

In the other parts of India, especially in the south, people celebrate the day by serving Panaka (a juice made of jaggery, musk melon, cardamom and lemon) and buttermilk to the devotees.

Keeping fast on this day has another significance of getting body and mind purified. At some places, people perform a religious and cultural event called Ramlila to reveal the history of Rama Navami in front of the people. People play the whole history of the life of Lord Rama through their dramatic performances. Chariot processing is a grand and ritual event of the Ram Navami festival to show the peaceful Ram Rajya in which people decorate the statues of the Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman in a well manner to start processing on the streets. Generally, people like to have a holy bath in the Saryu River of Ayodhya in the belief of the complete purification of the body and the soul.

Based on the beliefs if a true follower approaches the Lord Rama with true heart, love and worship, the follower becomes pure in spirit, large hearted, good natured and passionate in thought, word and deed.