Shree Ram Navami

Ram Navami is a festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Rama. Rama Navami falls on the ninth day of a Hindu lunar year or Chaitra Masa Sukla paksha Navami, which usually falls in March or April. Lord Rama is an avatar of Lord Vishnu who came down to earth to battle the invincible Ravana in human form.The story of Rama was first written by Vaalmeeki in about the 4th century B.C. Rama is supposed to have lived during the 8th or 7th century B.C. The epic known as the Ramayana.

The three queens to King Dashratha, Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi were unable to bear an heir to the kingdom of Ayodhya for a long period of time. The sacred ritual called Putra Kamesti Yagna was thus performed by the queens, as suggested by the great Sage Vashishth. The ceremony saw King Dashratha distribute payasam (a preparation of milk and rice) to his three wives. And, then on the ninth day of the Hindu month, Chitra, queen Kaushalya gave birth to Lord Ram, and the other queens gave birth to Lakshmana and Bharat.

In Hindu mythology, Lord Ram incarnates in many forms like Matsya, the fish; Varaha, the boar; Narsimha, the half-man half-lion to protect his devotees.Even today, Sri Ram’s heroic stories of love, respect, kindness, are very dear to people across the glob

 The festival of Ramnavami is celebrated with great devotion across the nation and every region has its own regional significance behind the celebration. Ayodhya is the focus of great celebrations. A huge fair is organized for two days. Ratha yatras or 'chariot processions' of Rama and his wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman, are taken out from many temples.

Excerpts from the Ramacharitamanas, extolling the glory of Rama, are recited. The public worship starts with morning ablutions, chanting Vedic mantras dedicated to Vishnu, and offering flowers and fruit to the god. People keep a fast throughout the day, breaking it only at midnight with fruit.

Ram Navami is a gazetted holiday in Bihar, Chattisgarah, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh.In the south of India the "Sri Ramnavami Utsavam" is celebrated for nine days with great fervor and devotion.

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), Bhadrachalam (Andhra Pradesh) and Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) are the main places where one can witness the grandest observances of the occassion. Thousands of devotees and tourists from different nations throng these places during Ram Navami to get a feel of the religious excitement.