Ram Navami

Ram Navami celebrates the birth of Rama, regarded in Vaishnava tradition as the seventh avatar of Vishnu and the prince of Ayodhya. The Ramayana tells that King Dasharatha longed for heirs and performed a sacred rite under the guidance of sages. The divine offering from the sacrifice was shared among his queens, and Rama was born to Queen Kaushalya, with Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna born to the other queens. Rama's later life—his exile, loyalty to dharma, alliance with Hanuman and the vanara army, defeat of Ravana and return to Ayodhya—made him a model of righteous conduct and responsible kingship. On Ram Navami, devotees especially remember the moment of his birth, read or listen to the Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas, sing Rama's name, perform puja and, in many places, place the child form of Rama in a cradle. Ayodhya is one of the most important centres of celebration.

Ram Navami is valued for devotion, family tradition and the spiritual or seasonal meaning attached to the day.

The Ramayana is read through in the days before, timed so that the birth is reached at noon. A cradle is set out and rocked. Panakam - jaggery water with pepper and cardamom - is made and given away, and the fast that many keep from the morning is broken with it.

Ayodhya keeps it largest, with a fair. Ramnavami processions across Bihar and the north; in Maharashtra the cradle is rocked at noon in temples. Tamil Nadu marks it with panakam, a jaggery and pepper drink for the heat. It closes Chaitra Navratri, which is why the nine days before it are also kept.