SHRI RAM NAVAMI in 2012 is on Sunday, the 1st of April.

SHRI RAM NAVAMI in 2012 is on Sunday, the 1st of April.

Ram Navami falls on the ninth day of the Hindu lunar year (thus named Chaitra Masa Suklapaksha Navami).

Rama Mantra
Neelambhuj shyamalkomlang Sita Samaropitvambhagam Pano Mahasaikacharoochapam Namame Ramam Raghuvanshnatham

Origin Of Rama Navami
According to the great epic Ramayana, once upon a time there lived a King named Dasarath, then king of Ayodhya, who had three wives named Kaushalya, Sumithra and Kaikeyi. As even long after his marriages, Dasarath was not blessed with a child, this has become a question of worry for him. Even the people of Ayodhya were disheartened because they had not heir to their kingdom. At this stage, Rishi Vasistha suggests Dasarath to perform Puthra Kamesti Yagna, through which he can have a desired child. Soon King Dasharath agreed to do the Yagya and headed to Maharshi Rushya Shrunga's ashram, to get him for performing the yagya. Maharshi agreed and accompanied Dasharath to Ayodhya to solemnize the perform Puthra Kamesti Yagna. As the result of yagna, Yagneshwar appeared and hands Dasarath a bowl of kheer and asked him to feed this to his three wives. Dasarath did the same. He gave one half of the kheer to his elder wife Kausalya, and another half to his younger wife Kaikeyi. These two gave one half each of their kheer to Sumithra. After few days all the three Queens conceived Dasratha's child. On the ninth day (Navami) of Chaithra Masa (first month in Hindu calendar), at noon Kaushlya gave birth to Lord Sri Ram, Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharath, and Sumithra gave birth to twins, Lakshman and Shatrughan. It was the day of joyous celebrations in Ayodhya. This day since then is celebrated as an auspicious occasion by the devotees.

History Of Ramnavami
Ram Navami is one of the most ancient festivals celebrated in India. It is said that the date of Ram Navami can be traced back to the pre-christian era, as Hinduism is the oldest religion of the world. The reference of Ramnavami can also be found in the Kalika puran. It is said in the earlier times, when caste system was prevalent in India; Ramnavami was one of the few festivals that the lower castes (shudras) were allowed to celebrate. In Hindu religion, it is considered to one of the five major sacred festivals and it is said that, properly observing this fast leads to the attainment of salvation.

Significance Of Fasting On Ram Navami
Like most of the Hindu festivals, fasting holds special significance in the celebrations of Ram Navami too. It is believed that when a devotee observes fast on Rama Navami, with sincerity and immense devotion, he/she is blessed with health, wealth and prosperity for the year ahead. Therefore, it has been a tradition since a long time to observe fast on the festival. This perception has been supported by the ancient religious texts of Hinduism, according to which, fasting is the only means of gaining happiness in the material world and achieving salvation at the same time. Moreover, Rama Navami vrat is considered as the five of the most important fasts in the ancient times.


Ram Navami 2012 Date When: Sunday, 1st April 2012 India
All across India, the day of Ram Navami is celebrated as the birthday of the Lord Ram, one of the most familiar and loved deities in the Hindu pantheon. Lord Ram is known as the seventh incarnation of the Dashavatara of Vishnu and was born to the Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya of Ayodhya. The Ram Navami festival falls in the Shukla Paksha on the Navami, the ninth day of the month of Chaitra according to the Hindu calendar. The nine days leading up to Ram Navami are days of fasting and prayer for the devout, and the day of the festival itself is marked by pujas and satsangs (public gatherings). The period is also known as Shri Rama Navratra.

Ram Navami Celebrations and Significance

Ram Navami is a major festival for Lord Ram’s worshippers. Lord Ram's dynasty considered themselves to have descended from the Sun. Therefore the celebrations on Ram Navami festival begin early morning by praying to the Sun. In the afternoon, which is supposed to be Lord Ram’s birth time, a special prayer is performed in temples. It is also considered auspicious to undertake a fast on this day. The more religious ones fast for all nine days preceding the day of Rama Navami. The fast is kept to seek perfection as a human being and is considered as an exercise to build up will power and self discipline. Many temples perform elaborate prayers throughout the day. A very important practice during this festival includes reading of the Ramayana by a pundit in the temple for all nine days and this is a crowd puller as people come to listen to the fascinating story. Although this festival is celebrated everywhere in India, there are two cities- Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and Pondicherry which are especially renowned for their Ram Navami celebrations. Both these places are mentioned in the epic Ramayana. Ayodhya is the place where Lord Ram was born and during the festival resplendently decorated rath yatras or chariot processions are carried through the town. The main attraction of these processions are lavishly decorated chariots carrying four people dressed up as Lord Ram, his wife Sita, brother Laxman, and his disciple Hanuman. The chariot is followed by many other people dressed up as King Ram’s soldiers. These rath yatras take place all over north India and continue for two days, accompanied by much fanfare and rejoicing. During the processions participants sing religious songs and praise the happy days of Ram's reign. Other sacred places like Ujjain and Rameshwaram also draw thousands of devotees from all over the country during this festival. People visit Rameshwaram to take a ritual bath in the sea before paying homage at the Ramanathaswamy temple. Fairs are hosted in various places in north India in connection with this festival that end in spectacular fireworks on Rama Navami.