Rama Navami

Ram Navami is a major Hindu spring festival in India that marks the celebrations of Lord Rama's birthday. There are several mind boggling celebrations very year with thousands of years old customs and rituals, such as Ram lila which is a dramatic portrayal of fight between Rama and devil Raavana.

How Do the Locals Celebrate in India

People follow years old customs and rituals on the day of Ram Navami. The preparations for this day begins days before it by decorating temples, cleaning houses, purchasing fruits and sweets from the market, etc. Devotees also keep fast for the whole day as a part of the ritual. On the day of the festival, people start their rituals by offering prayers to the sun in the morning. After that, they pray to God by reciting Vedic hymns from religious books like 'Ramacharitamanas' and 'Ramayana'. The well-decorated temples arrange for detailed rituals like Havana and perform devotional songs like bhajan and kirtan to celebrate the sacred event of the birth of Rama.

Sweets and fruits play a major role on this day as a priest after completion of worship and puja distribute them to devotees as Prasad. After all the prayers are done, people break their fast at midnight by having fruits and sweets.

Chariot Parade is an important part of this festival. Thousands of Devotees gather together on this parade and sing devotional songs. The place of statues of Rama, Sita, Lakshamana, and Hanuman made of wood or stone in a beautifully decorated chariot after their worship at temples and goes for a procession. In some places of India, four persons personifying the mythological characters of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman climb on this chariot to take part in the procession.

Ramlila is also a very famous and important part of the celebrations. Ramlila is a dramatic portrayal of the life of Rama and his fight against demon Ravana. Several actors perform these acts in an open-air stage and grounds. These actors wear costumes that look very unique and interesting. People from all around the world gather in these open grounds to witness these acts.

In South India, the Ram Navami festival carries on for nine days subsisting of various elements of ceremony and tradition. Since the day coincides with the wedding of Rama and Sita, the mood on this day is extremely joyous. The programs of kirtans, chantings, and recitals lend a greatly inspiring and enlightening tone to the Ram Navami celebration. In Andhra Pradesh, temples portray the marriage of Lord Rama and Sita on the final day of Ram Navami.

In Bhadrachalam of Andhra Pradesh, the followers celebrate this day as the wedding anniversary of Lord Rama and his wife Sita. They call the event 'SitaramaKalyanam'. Followers in Southern parts of India worship the sacred images of Rama and Sita in their homes. At the end of the day, they arrange a parade for these images on the street. A huge number of devotees get together at temples there and observe the day through reciting the name of Rama.

Advise from Locals for Visiting India During this Holiday

Ram Navami is celebrated across India with thousands of devotees gather around famous temples or open-air grounds to witness Ramlila. According to locals, people can visit old and famous temples to witness devotion and excitement among people on the day of the festival. Some of the best places to visit India during Ram Navami are:

1. Ayodhya: Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Rama where people celebrated Ram Navami for the very first time centuries ago. People decorate their house, observe fast, take a dip in the river and visit temples to perform various prayers and rituals on the day of the festival. Temples also conduct Ram Lila on open ground featuring the battle between Rama and demon Ravana.

2. Bhadrachalam, Telangana: his place is famous for the Sita Ramachandraswamy Temple, constructed in the 17th century by Bhakta Ramadasu, an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. In Bhadrachalam, the followers celebrate this day as the wedding anniversary of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita as ‘Sitarama Kalyanam’. Though the festival carries on for nine days here but Navami, the last day coincides with the wedding of Rama and Sita is extremely popular.

3. Sitamarhi, Bihar: Janki mandir in Sitamarhi Bihar is considered one of the best temples to celebrate Ram Navami which is decorated with beautiful lights and flowers. There is also a special fair that attracts many tourists from all around the world.

4. Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu: Rameshwaram plays a major role in the epic tale of Mahabharata where varan Sena helped Rama to build a bridge to reach Lanka and rescue his wife Sita. Many devotees gather in KothandaramaSwamy Temple to celebrate Ram Navami.

5. Vontimitta in Andhra Pradesh and Shirdi in Maharashtra are also considered to be one of the best places to witness the celebrations.

Tips from Locals 

There are several travel packages available by the private as well as government organizations which provides insight views of celebrations all around India. These travel packages are a great way to witness these celebrations without any hesseltes of finding places or standing in queue for hours.