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“God’s light is within you, It never leaves you.”

Ram Navami marks the birthday of Lord Ram, who is known to be the 7th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Each year on Chaitra Shukla Navami (the ninth day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu Lunar month, Chaitra) Ramnavami is celebrated. In several temples, Sriramanavami is celebrated for nine days from the first day of Chaitra Navratri. Also, people observe fast on this day.

Ram Navami Celebrations

Sriramanavami is a major Hindu festival and is widely celebrated with great devotion. Shri Rama Navami is highly popular amongst Vaishnavites. Its celebration include:

1.  Narration of Ramayan take place on Rama Navami
2.  People recite Ramaraksha Stotra
3.  Kirtans are organised
4.  Idol of Shree Ram gets ready with beautiful ornaments and embellishments
5.  Idol of Lord Ram is swinged in the cradle

Puja Vidhi On Ramnavami

1.  Take bath and sit on a Puja place with all Pujan Samagri (items needed for Puja)
2.  Tulsi leaves or a lotus flower plays an important role for his worship
3.  The worship of Lord Ram begins with the sixteen steps known as Shodashopachar Puja
4.  Prepare Kheer & keep fruits as a Prashad
5.  After Puja, the youngest female in the house puts Tilak (vermillion on everyone’s forehead)

Ram Navmi Legend

The story behind Shri Rama Navami starts with the King of Lanka, ‘The Ravan’. In his rule, people were being terrorized and wanted to get freedom from his menace. Ravan had acquired the power from Lord Brahma that he would never get killed by the Gods or Yakshas (demigod). He was the most powerful of all. Therefore, due to this terrorism, all Gods went to Vishnu with a request for help. Thus, Kausalya, the wife of King Dasaratha, gave birth to Lord Ram. Since then, the day is celebrated as Sriramanavami. Also, on a Chaitra Shukla Navami only, Tulsidas had started writing Ramcharitmanas.

Why is Ram Navami celebrated?

Ram Navami History

Knowing about the Ram Navami history will answer the question of why Ram Navami is celebrated with so much enthusiasm.

Ram Navami marks the day our beloved Lord Ram was born.

To celebrate the descent of this divine being on Earth and the subsequent change in the history of India, people partake in various rituals across the country and the world.

Lord Ram as per our scriptures is believed to be the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was born as the eldest of four sons to King Dashrath and Queen Kaushalya in Ayodhya in Treta Yug.

He is known to be “Maryada Purshottam” and represents justice and righteousness.

He was a man of his words and promises.

The story of his fight with Ravana, which signifies the triumph of good over evil has inspired generations and will continue to do so.

Lord Ram was one of the first to try to do away with untouchability by consuming half eaten berries of Shabari, an elderly lower caste woman.

This is why it is said, Ram Navami was that one festival, which was celebrated by upper and lower castes alike.

Over the years, as the social evils began to die, Lord Ram’s open mindedness transcended time and generations, making Ram Navami one of the most important festivals of Hindus.

Significance of Ram Navami

Ram Navami in its very true meaning is the symbol of victory of goodness over evil, rather “Dharma” over “Adharma”.

Ram Navami also signifies the importance of the sun.

“Ra” in various languages is a syllable used to denote sun. Lord Rama’s dynasty is called “Suryavanshi”, which translates to descendants of the sun.

This is why Ram Navami is a festival that is also devoted to thanking the sun for it is the driving force of life across the world.

This is why many people start the morning of this festival by offering water to the sun and expressing gratitude to it.

Ram Navami Celebration

As already mentioned above, these auspicious days begin with devotees offering water to the sun.

Many devotees observe a fast on this day.

Devotees also pray to Lord Ram by reciting hymns from religious scriptures and books like Ramayan.

After worshipping at home many families head to temples to worship Lord Ram Idol.

Many devotees conduct havan, which is a fire ritual, performed by a priest, who recites various mantras and hymns to worship Lord Ram.

This havan is also scientifically proven to purify the air by killing harmful microorganisms. After the havan, a pooja or aarti is conducted.

Followed by this aarti, devotees partake in singing and dancing religious hymns and partake in activities called Bhajan and Keertan.

The priest offers to Lord Ram bhog or prasad, which is offered in the form of fruits and sweets, which is then distributed among the devotees.

The devotees who are fasting, then continue the fast and break it at midnight.

There are also some other exciting activities that take place on this day, like that of the chariot parade.

In many parts of the country, devotees conduct a parade, in which any four people (mainly children) dress up as Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Laxman, and Hanuman.

They go on a designated path leading up to a temple, dancing, singing, and celebrating this beautiful festival.

Similarly, in some parts of the country “Ram Leela”, the portrayal of Lord Ram’s life through a play takes place, which is watched by a devoted audience.

In the south, this day coincides with the day of Ram and Seeta’s wedding and is called “Seetaramakalyanam”.

So they worship both Ram and Seeta at home and participate in a parade at night.

Temples also try to recreate the wedding for devotees and decorate the Lord Ram idol and his wife Seeta’s with beautiful jewellery and garlands.

Ram Navami Fast

The fast observed on this day, called Ram Navami Vrat, is one out of the five major fasts of Hindus.

It is compulsory for the descendants and followers of Lord Ram.

The fast starts the previous midnight, or with the onset of this day.

There are many kinds of fasts that devotees can observe depending upon their abilities and health- they can fast for the entire 24 hours, they can eat once a day, or they can fast the entire nine days of Chaitra Navratri (sometimes only consuming Satvik food).

Whichever fast is observed or not observed, the food consumed during Ram Navami should be Satvik, which means, it should not include ingredients like onion, garlic, etc. Also, instead of the normal salt, rock salt should be used.

Some devotees also observe the waterless fast and prohibit themselves from drinking water the entire day along with not eating food.

There are various levels of fasts in terms of their severity, but one should follow what suits their health, as in the end what matters is intention and devotion!

It is said that whosoever will observe this vrat, will be blessed with good health, wealth, and overall prosperity.

This fast can lead to the attainment of happiness and eventually salvation.

Ram Navami Vrat Katha

There are many stories and legends that are recited during the Ram Navami Pooja, but the most popular one that surely finds its place in every household is the story of Lord Ram’s birth.

As per Hindu religious text in Ramayan, King Dashrath ruled Ayodhya and had three wives namely- Kaushalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra.

Dashrath was a phenomenal ruler and he led his state to prosperity, but he was facing a great ordeal in his personal life.

Despite having three wonderful partners, Dashrath was childless, which meant that there was no one to take on the reigns of his kingdom after him.

To redeem himself of this problem he went to Rishi Vashisth, who advised him to perform a fire ritual called Putra Kameshti Yagya.

This fire sacrifice was performed by Rishi Rishyasringa.

This sacrifice resulted in the appearance of Agni Dev who offered a bowl of divine Kheer to king Dashrath and asked him to divide it among his three wives.

Dashrath gave half the Kheer to Kaushalya, another half to Kaikeyi, both of them gave half of their Kheer to Sumitra.

After this entire yagna, on the ninth day of Chaitra, Ram was born to Kaushalya, Bharat to Kaikeyi and Laxman, and Shatrughan to Sumitra.

Ever since this occasion is celebrated as Ram Navami.

Ram Navami

Lord Ram is believed to have adorned Earth with his holy presence on the ninth day of Shukla Paksha, in the month of Chaitra as per the Hindu calendar.

This occasion comes every year in the Gregorian months of March or April.

Every year somewhere in the time of spring during March or April the Chaitra Navratri falls with Ram Navami falling on the ninth day.

This year April is being blessed with the divinity of this festival.

Ram Navami is a festival that not just signifies the importance of righteousness, truthfulness and justice, but also gives people an opportunity to come together with their loved ones and take some time out from their busy lives to enjoy together.

Hopefully, this article brought you closer to your roots and inspired you to celebrate this year with utmost joy and glee. Top of Form

How is Ram Navami Celebrated?

Ram Navami is a spring festival celebrated by Hindus over a period of nine days to mark the birth of Lord Rama, one of the major incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

The celebrations begin on the ninth day of the bright fortnight in the Hindu month of Chaitra.

This is typically eight days after Ugadi and coincides with the Chait Durga Pooja or Vasant Navaratri festival.

The festival is not celebrated by Hindus in India alone but also by Hindu devotees from all over the world.

However, it is specifically important to the Vaishnavite sect among Hindus who consider Lord Rama as their principal deity.

Ram Navami is mentioned in Ramayana, one of the greatest epics of Hindus.

The epic talks of King Dasaratha and his three queens.

It also talks about how the childless king performed a yagna for a prodigy and distributed some kheer to his queens after the yagna.

The queens consumed the kheer and eventually conceived.

The eldest queen Kausalya gave birth to Lord Rama while Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughan were born to the other queens.

The epic also talks about the hardships faced by Rama and His return to the kingdom after a long exile to become a just ruler.

Fasting During Ram Navami

Devotees consider fasting to be an integral aspect of Ram Navami celebrations.

As a result, the festival is also known as the Vratha Katha.

Hindus believe that undertaking the fast will help them to absolve their sins and get one step closer to mukti or liberation.

They also believe that the fast will help them to be bestowed with good luck and happiness by Lord Rama

The fasting generally commences on the previous day and continues on to the day of Ram Navami.

Worshippers of Lord Rama observe different types of fasting like fasting until noon, fasting until midnight or eating only one meal in the day.

Those who opt for one meal in the day kind of fast must abstain from including meat, turmeric, ginger, onion or garlic in their meal.

There are also devotees who take only fruits during the fasting period.

Other Ram Navami Celebrations

On this day, people wake up early in the morning and take a bath.

After this, they clean their houses and get ready for a pooja in honour of Lord Rama along with His consort Maa Sita, brother Lakshman and biggest devotee Hanuman.

The photos or idols of these deities are decorated and placed on a raised platform and two plates are kept in front of them along with flowers and incense sticks.

One of them contains the items required for the pooja while the other plate has the prasad for the gods.

The pooja starts with the youngest female member of the household applying red teeka and dots to all male and female members participating in the pooja.

After this, water, aipun and rice are liberally sprinkled on the deities in the mentioned order.

Various bhajans and/or kirtans in honour of the lord are sung all this while.

After this, everyone gets up from his/her seating position to participate in the arti.

This is followed by sprinkling Ganga jal over the participants and distributing prasad to them.

One popular bhajan recited on this day is the Hare Rama Hare Krishna mantra.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Worshippers of Lord Rama also chant the Rama stotra mentioned in the Vishnu Sahasranama thrice a day on the occasion of Rama Navami.

In Ayodhya and other places in North India, the celebrations take place on a grand scale.

A grand fair is organised for two days.

The Rathyatra is a major feature of the fair. Idols of the deities from the major Ram temples are taken around the area in a procession in a chariot.

 After the procession, the idols are brought back to the shrines and the Ram Taka homa followed by a shayana arti is performed. The fair and celebrations come to an end with the lighting of fireworks.

Devotees also visit holy places like Rameshwaram during the nine days surrounding Ram Navami.

In Rameshwaram, they take a bath in the holy waters of the sea and proceed to the temple for a darshan of their favourite deity.

In temples, the celebrations take place on a grand scale. Bhajans in dedication to the lord along with narration of the Ramayan katha.

The Akanda Ramayan Pad entailing the complete Ramachitmanas compiled by Tulsidas is carried out.

The Sunderkand recitation and discourses on Valmiki Ramayana are held for nine days starting from Ugadi to Rama Navami.

The marriage of Lord Rama with Sita Devi is also enacted in several Ram temples primarily in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Hindus associate Ram Navami as a festival of great significance.

The festival signifies the victory of good over evil.

It also highlights the formation of dharma to destroy adharma in the universe.

Both these aspects are portrayed through the battle between Rama and Ravana.

In some communities, Surya the Sun God is also worshipped on Ram Navami and offered water to invoke His blessings.

This is because Surya Dev is considered to be one of Lord Rama’s ancestors.

Rituals and Celebration

The celebration is marked by various rituals, puja vidhi, and festivities that hold deep religious and cultural significance. Here are the key aspects of the rituals, vidhi, and celebrations associated with Ram Navami:

• Mantra Chanting: Devotees recite hymns and mantras, including passages from the Ramcharitmanas, depicting Lord Rama’s life.
• Shobha Yatras: Colorful processions, called Shobha Yatras, grace the streets with vibrant floats, music, and cultural performances, uniting communities.
• Puja and Aarti: Special ceremonies involve offering prayers, flowers, and performing aarti rituals, symbolizing devotion and reverence to Lord Rama.
• Fasting: Many observe a fast, breaking it with a simple vegetarian meal post-puja, as a form of devotion.
• Charity: Acts of kindness and charity, like donating food or clothing, reflect Lord Rama’s compassionate spirit.
• Recitation of Ramayana: Devotees engage in reciting the Ramayana, seeking blessings and spiritual enrichment.
• Processions: Streets come alive with elaborate parades featuring characters from the Ramayana, fostering a festive atmosphere.
• Sacred Plunge: Some take a dip in rivers or holy waters, symbolizing purification and spiritual renewal.

Celebrating Ram Navami at Home

• Start your day with an early morning bath.
• Dress in clean and presentable attire.
• Position the idol of Lord Ram in your home temple.
• Use akshat, chandan, dhup, and incense sticks for the puja.
• Offer jaggery or sweets to Lord Rama.
• Read excerpts from the epic Ramayana.
• Conclude the puja with aarti.
• Share prasad with fellow worshippers to spread blessings.

Mantras to Chant on Ram Navami

• Shri Rama Ashtothra (Shatanamavalli)
• Shri Rama Raksha Stothram
• Vishnu Sahasranamam
• Ramayana Sunderkand
• Ayodhya Mahatmya
• Rama Kavacham

Pooja Samagri | Must have Items for Ram Navami Pooja 

• A wooden chowki
• A piece of new yellow cloth
• An idol or photo frame of Lord Rama
• Water in a kalash
• Turmeric
• Sandalwood stick
• Kumkum
• Uncooked rice or akshat
• Flowers
• Tulsi leaves
• Fruits
• Kalava
• A janeu (sacred thread)
• Coconut
• Paan and supari
• Diya or brass lamp
• Oil or ghee and cotton wicks
• Incense sticks
• Camphor
• For Panchamrit: Banana, ghee, curd, honey, and raw milk

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Rama Navami Puja Vidhi and offerings

Since Lord Rama is an avatar of Lord Vishnu, the puja vidhi is same for His adulation. Tulsi leaves are essential to worship Lord Rama. Use lotus flowers and offer kheer (made in rice and milk). You can also use a sweet treat made from pure gree, semolina and sugar as an offering.