Sri Rama Navami

Introduction

Sri Rama Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Sri Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu and the ideal of dharma. It falls on Chaitra Shukla Navami – the ninth day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, nine days after Ugadi – and brings the spring festival season of Chaitra to its peak. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Sri Rama Navami is above all the day of the Sita Rama Kalyanam, the celestial wedding of Sita and Rama, celebrated in temples, villages and city streets alike.

Significance and Legend

According to the Ramayana, after King Dasharatha of Ayodhya performed the Putrakameshti yajna, Queen Kausalya gave birth to Sri Rama on Chaitra Shukla Navami, under the Punarvasu nakshatra, at midday. For this reason, the main worship of Sri Rama Navami is offered around noon.

According to tradition in the Telugu lands, Sri Rama Navami is also celebrated as the wedding day of Sita and Rama. The Kalyanam is therefore performed with great joy, as if it were a wedding in one's own family, and the talambralu (sacred rice used in the wedding) are received by devotees as a precious blessing.

How it is Celebrated in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

• Sita Rama Kalyanam everywhere: besides the great temple celebrations, villages and neighbourhoods set up decorated kalyana pandirlu (wedding pandals) and perform the Kalyanam for the whole community.
• Bhadrachalam: the Sita Rama Kalyanam on Sri Rama Navami is the greatest festival of the Bhadrachalam temple. It is performed at the Mithila Stadium before lakhs of devotees. Silk vastrams and muthyala talambralu (pearls for the wedding) are offered on behalf of the State Government of Telangana – a tradition that, according to the temple's history, goes back to the days of Bhakta Ramadasu and the Golconda rulers. The Pattabhishekam (coronation) of Sri Rama is celebrated the next day.
• Vontimitta: at the Kodandarama Swamy Temple, the Sri Rama Navami Brahmotsavams are held by TTD, and the State of Andhra Pradesh's official Sita Rama Kalyanam is performed there. Unusually, it takes place at night, under the moonlight, a few days after Sri Rama Navami.
• Hyderabad: a large devotional procession, the Sri Rama Navami Shobha Yatra, starts from the Sita Ram Bagh temple and passes through the old city with thousands of devotees.
• Service to all: since the festival falls in the heat of summer, families, temples and youth groups set up stalls that serve panakam, vadapappu and buttermilk to everyone who passes by.

Rituals and Puja

• The nine days from Ugadi to Sri Rama Navami are observed by many as Vasanta Navaratri, with daily reading of the Ramayana (Ramayana parayanam) and chanting of the Rama nama.
• On Navami, devotees take an early bath and worship the Rama Parivaram – Sri Rama with Sita Devi, Lakshmana and Hanuman – with flowers, tulasi and recitation of the Rama Raksha Stotram or the Vishnu Sahasranamam.
• Many observe a fast until the midday puja, which marks the moment of Sri Rama's birth.
• The Sita Rama Kalyanam is performed or witnessed, and the talambralu and prasadam are shared among family and neighbours.

Foods and Offerings

• Panakam – a cooling drink of jaggery and water, flavoured with black pepper, cardamom and dry ginger; the most beloved naivedyam of the day.
• Vadapappu – soaked split green gram (pesarapappu), lightly seasoned; light and cooling in the summer heat.
• Neer majjiga (spiced buttermilk), together with fruits and the festive meal.

Temples Known for this Festival

• Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy Temple, Bhadrachalam – the Sita Rama Kalyanam at the Mithila Stadium, with silk vastrams and muthyala talambralu from the State Government of Telangana, and the Pattabhishekam the next day.
• Sri Kodandarama Swamy Temple, Vontimitta – the State of Andhra Pradesh's official Sita Rama Kalyanam, held at night under the moonlight during the TTD Brahmotsavams.
• Sita Ram Bagh Mandir, Hyderabad – the starting point of Hyderabad's Sri Rama Navami Shobha Yatra.

The next Sri Rama Navami date is shown in the festival dates above. It always falls on Chaitra Shukla Navami as per the Telugu panchang. The date of the Vontimitta Kalyanam is announced by TTD each year.