Ram Navami is a Hindu festival, celebrating the birth of Lord Rama, son of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya. It is believed that the deity is the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
This year Ram Navami falls on March 24. However the nine-day festival at various temples will begin tomorrow, which is also the Gudi Padwa day.
In South India, the day is celebrated as the anniversary of the union between Rama and Sita. The ceremonial wedding ceremonies, Sitarama Kalyanam, of the celestial couple are held at temples throughout the region. Important celebrations also take place at Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, where thousands of devotees throng. In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, public gatherings called satsangs are organised.
In Ayodhya, where Rama was born in 5114 BC, thousands of people take a dip in the sacred river Sarayu. Celebrations on this day begin with a prayer to the sun deity early in the morning. At mid-day, when Lord Rama is supposed to have been born, a special prayer is performed.
The sun is considered to be the progenitor of Rama’s dynasty. Ram’s reign in Ayodhya is celebrated as Ram Rajya, it was synonymous with a period of peace and prosperity. Mahatma Gandhi also used this term to describe how, India should be after Independence.
In Mumbai, the nine day Ram Navami festival begins tomorrow at the 85-year old Ram Mandir and also at the Sankara Matham at Matunga. At Ram Mandir, the daily programme begins with religious and vedic functions in the morning followed by spiritual discourses on Srimad Ramayanam by G Ravi Rama Sharma in the evening.
On the Ram Navami day, the functions begin in the morning with yagna, abhishekam to the idol with milk, honey, curd and sandal paste which is followed by Sita Rama Kalyanam and then Rama Pattabhishekam.
The idol will be taken round in a festive procession, in the evening. The Sankara Matham has planned a variety of rituals for peace and prosperity of citizens. For the convenience of devotees, another shrine located nearby at Matunga Sri Bhajana Samaj starts the nine-day festival from the Ram Navami day.
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