Rama Navami
| Rama Navami | |
|---|---|
Murti of the infant Rama in a cradle at a village temple in Chinawal, Maharashtra | |
| Type | Hindu |
| Significance | Birthday of Rama |
| Observances | Puja, vrata (fast), recitation of the Ramayana and its various versions, charity, and bhajan (devotional singing) |
| Date | Chaitra Shukla Navami |
| 2026 date | 26 March 27 March |
| Duration | 1 Day |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Chaitra Navaratri, Hanuman Jayanti |
| Explanatory note on Hindu festival dates | |
|---|---|
The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day).
Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar. | |
Rama Navami (Sanskrit: राम नवमी, romanized: Rāmanavamī) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Rama, a revered deity in Hinduism, also known as the seventh avatar of Vishnu. He is often held as an emblem within Hinduism for being an ideal king and human, through his righteousness, good conduct and virtue. The festival falls on the ninth day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the lunar cycle of Chaitra (March–April), the first month in the Hindu calendar. It is also part of the Chaitra Navaratri festival in spring.
Rama Navami is celebrated across India with varying rituals and customs. These include devotional practices such as fasting, prayer, singing, recitations from the Ramayana, temple visits, processions, and music or dramatic performances. Charitable events and community meals are also organized. The festival is an occasion for reflecting on Rama's virtues.
Important celebrations on this day take place at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir and numerous Rama temples all over India. Ratha yatras (chariot processions) of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman occur at several places. In Ayodhya, many take a dip in the sacred river Sarayu, and then visit the Rama temple.