Rama and Hanuman · Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman
Ram Navami
The birthday of Lord Rama, celebrated at midday with fasting, kirtan and the reading of the Ramayana.
Also known as: Rama Janmotsav, Sri Rama Navami
Date and muhurat
✓ 28.6519°N, 77.2315°E · Asia/Kolkata
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When is it observed?
On the ninth day (Navami) of the bright fortnight of the month of Chaitra, usually in March or April and at the end of Chaitra Navratri. The date is the day on which Navami is present at midday (Madhyahna), the time at which Rama is said to have been born.
About Ram Navami
Ram Navami celebrates the birth of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu and the hero of the Ramayana. Devotees keep a fast, visit temples and gather at midday, the moment of the birth, to sing the aarti and welcome the child Rama with cradle songs.
Homes and temples read from the Ramayana or the Ramcharitmanas, sing bhajans, and arrange small cradles in which an image of the infant Rama is rocked. The festival closes the nine days of Chaitra Navratri and is kept with special grandeur at Ayodhya.
Significance
Rama is revered as Maryada Purushottam, the ideal person who honoured his word, his family and his duties as a king even at great personal cost. The festival is an occasion to recall these qualities and to make them a model for ordinary life.
Hearing the story of Rama's birth and deeds is traditionally believed to purify the mind. The day also carries the idea of Ram Rajya, a society ruled by justice and compassion, which gives the celebrations a social meaning beyond personal devotion.
Worship on Ram Navami
- 1Wake early, bathe and wear clean clothes. Take the sankalp to keep the Ram Navami fast, taking fruit and milk or a single sattvic meal.
- 2Clean the place of worship and set up images of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman on a clean cloth. A cradle may be decorated for the infant Rama.
- 3Bathe the idol or image with panchamrit and clean water, then dress it and apply sandal paste and tilak.
- 4Offer tulsi leaves, flowers, rice, incense and a lamp. Offer panjiri, kheer, fruit and panakam (a jaggery-and-pepper drink) as bhog.
- 5Recite or hear Ramcharitmanas, the Ramayana, or the Ram Raksha Stotra through the morning. Chant "Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram".
- 6At midday, the time of the birth, ring bells and conch, sing the cradle songs and perform the aarti.
- 7Share the prasad, feed the needy and break the fast later in the day or the next morning.
The story
King Dasharatha of Ayodhya had no children, and on the advice of Sage Vashistha he performed the Putrakameshti yajna. From the sacrifice came a divine pudding (payasam), which he shared among his three queens. In due time Kaushalya gave birth to Rama, Kaikeyi to Bharata, and Sumitra to the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna.
Rama was born on the ninth day of Chaitra, at midday, under the Punarvasu constellation, according to the traditional account, and Ayodhya rejoiced. He grew into the prince whose exile of fourteen years, defeat of Ravana and just rule as king are told in the Ramayana.
What to do
- ✓Keep the fast with a calm mind and eat only sattvic food.
- ✓Read or hear a part of the Ramayana or Ramcharitmanas.
- ✓Offer tulsi leaves and panakam to Rama.
- ✓Be at the puja around midday, the time of the birth.
- ✓Give food and charity to the needy.
What to avoid
- ✕Avoid onion, garlic, grains and non-vegetarian food on the fast.
- ✕Do not speak harshly or quarrel on this day.
- ✕Do not offer anything impure or stale to the deity.
- ✕Do not miss the midday worship if you can help it.
Around the country
- Ayodhya: large fairs on the Saryu, with lakhs of pilgrims bathing and visiting the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
- South India: celebrated as the wedding of Sita and Rama (Sita Rama Kalyanam), most famously at Bhadrachalam, and panakam and vadapappu are given.
- Maharashtra and Gujarat: kirtans and the reading of the Ramayana, and the Ram Navami processions.
- Tamil Nadu: a nine-day Rama festival, with discourses and music at temples.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Ram Navami observed at midday?
Tradition places Rama's birth at midday on Chaitra Shukla Navami, so the main worship is timed to that period, and the date is chosen by the day on which Navami covers it.
Is Ram Navami part of Navratri?
Yes. It falls on the ninth day of Chaitra Navratri, and many devotees who fasted for the nine days break their fast after the puja.
What is panakam?
Panakam is a cooling drink of jaggery, water, cardamom and dry ginger or pepper, offered to Rama in South India and shared as prasad.