Significance
The festival of Ram Navami commemorates Lord Ram's Vishnu avatar's
arrival on Earth. In the Treta Yuga, he was born in Ayodhya to Queen Kausalya
and King Dasharatha. Lord Ram is mentioned not just in Hindu scriptures, but
also in Jain and Buddhist writings. Lord Rama is the major character of the
Hindu epic Ramayana, which is revered not just in India but also across
Southeast Asia.
Deity
Lord Rama
Ritual (pooja, vrat etc.)
Begin the pooja by addressing Lord Ganesha with your greetings.
• Begin Shri Rama's pooja by invoking Lord Ganesha.
• Begin the rites with a Dhyanam (meditation).
• Seek the blessings of Lord Rama and ask him to accept your
humble offerings.
• Do Avahanam after Dhyanam. With folded hands, pray to Lord Rama,
and then reverently put the photo frame or idol of Lord Rama on a
yellow-covered wooden platform. Asanam is the name given to this practise.
• Light a ghee or oil light.
• Do Padya as a follow-up. Water should be offered to the deity's
feet. After that, offer Arghya. Then, along with kalava, offer janeu, haldi,
chandan, kumkum, flowers, Tulsi leaves, and Panchamrit.Song of the Sahasanam
Vishnu. Then present the Tamboolam and incense sticks (consisting of coconut
with its husk, paan, supari, fruits, bananas and dakshina).
•The aarti will then finish
the pooja
Celebrations
Divine blessings are being sought from Rama and the devotees pray
on this day for peace, wealth and success. Ram Navami also celebrates
Navratri's ninth day when devotes celebrate Navami with food.
Hindus also celebrate Kanya Puja ceremonies on this day where 9
females are invited and respected, because Hindus believe they are Devi's
incarnation. After the puja ceremony the females are prepared and served a
prasad consisting of sooji halwa, kala chana and puri.
Ram Navami is one of the largest celebrations in the Hindu world.
Some devotees bath and clothe miniature Rama's idols, lighted a light before
the idol, and lay them down in a cradle to commemorate his birth while Kheer
was ready to present himself to God as an offering.
Despite the fact that the event is named after Rama, it usually
includes veneration for Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman, who play important roles
in Rama's life narrative. The holiday is observed by some Vaishnavite Hindus at
Hindu temples, while others observe it in their homes. Surya, the Hindu sun
deity, is worshipped and honoured in various Hindu cultures. Some Vaishnavite groups
commemorate Rama and read the Ramayana over the whole nine days of Chaitra
(Vasanta) Navaratri, with some temples hosting special evening discussion
sessions.
Temples and Vaishnavite
groups arrange charitable activities and communal dinners, and for many Hindus,
it is a source of pride.
Celebration in different regions/countries including Regional Variance
Rama Navami is a Hindu holiday observed by people from Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu who have
origins in those states.
The descendants of Indian indentured servants who were forced to
leave India due to British-engineered famines and then promised jobs in
British-owned plantations and mines in colonial South Africa before 1910, and
then lived under the apartheid regime in South Africa, continued to celebrate
Ram Navami by reciting the Ramayana and singing Tyagaraja and Bhadrachala
Ramdas bhajans. The practise is still alive and well at Durban's Hindu temples
every year.
Similarly, in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica,
other Caribbean countries, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, and many other
countries with Hindu descendants of colonial-era indentured workers forced to
leave British India have continued to observe Rama Navami along with their
other traditional festivals.
It is also celebrated by Hindus in Fiji and those Fiji Hindus who
have re-migrated elsewhere.
Best places to experience/ Mela
Ayodhya and Sita Samahit Sthal (Uttar Pradesh), Sitamarhi (Bihar),
Janakpurdham (Nepal), Bhadrachalam (Telangana), Kodandarama Temple, Vontimitta
(Andhra Pradesh)
Ramanathaswamy temple,
Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu), Vaduvur Sri Kothandaramaswamy Temple (Tamilnadu), Sri
Rama Pada Temple, Dhanushkodi, Rameshwaram (Tamilnadu), Eri Katha Ramar temple,
Maduranthakam(Tamil Nadu), Eri-Katha Ramar Temple, Thirunindravur (Tamilnadu),
Sri Kodanda-RamarTemple,Thirupullani (Tamilnadu), Sri Kodandaramar Temple,
T-Nagar, Chennai (Tamilnadu), Sri Parathasarathy Temple (Sri RamarSannidhi),
Thiruvallikeni, Chennai, Jharkhand (hazaribag, chatra, Ranchi, lamta shiv
Mandir), (Tamil Nadu). Rathayatras, the chariot processions, also known as Shobha
yatras of Rama, Sita, his brother Lakshmana and Hanuman, are taken out at
several places
Date & Time
Ninth day of Chaitra (Chaitra Shukla Paksha Navami)
Public Holidays (Y/N and where)
Yes
