Ram Navami Festival in India

Sriram Navami is followed to celebrate the birth of Lord Sriram, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The nineth day (Navami) in the bright fortnight of the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra is referred to as Ram Navami.

On the Ramnavami day, devotees crowd the temples and sing devotional bhajans in praise of Rama and rock images of him in cradles to celebrate his birth. There are recitations of Tulsi Ramayan, the epic, which recounts the story of this great king.

Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama is the focus of great celebrations of Ramanavami festival. There will be chariot processions of Rama, his wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman, where processions will be taken by the temples around the city.

Importance of Ram Navami Festival

Ramnavami is celebrated in Hindu households by performing puja (prayer). Bhajans and chnats are sung that praise the divine qualities of Lord Rama, his loyal brother Lakshman and his devoted wife Sita. The house is then swept clean and pictures of Lord Rama, Lakshman, Sita and Hanuman are put on a dais as a form of preparation for the puja.

Flowers and incense sticks are lit and are kept before the deities. A couple of thalis are kept ready in the puja area. One contains the prasad and the other the items necessary for the puja like roli, aipun, rice, water, flowers, a bell and a conch.

After that, the youngest female member of the family applies teeka to all other members of the family. Everyone after that participates in the puja by first sprinkling the water, roli, and aipun on the Gods, and then showering handfuls of rice on the deities.

Then everybody stands up to perform the aarti, at the end of which ganga jal or plain water is sprinkled over the gathering crowd of the family memebers. The singing of bhajans and various other chants goes on for the entire puja. Finally, the prasad is distributed among all family members and other people who have gathered there.