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Rama Rameti Rameti Ramey Rame manoramey
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Sahasra naam tatulyam Rama naam varaananey ||
(O fair-faced Parvati! I enjoy chanting 'Raama Raama'.
Uttering but once the name 'Rama' is equal to the
uttering of any other 'name' of God, a thousand times.
~Lord Shiva)
Rama-navami (pronounced:Raama Navamee),
also spelt as Ram Navami/Ram Navmi, is a Hindu festival, celebrating the
birth of Lord Rama, son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya, and a divine figure in
Hinduism believed to be an incarnation of the great Lord Vishnu. The day also
known as Sri Rama Navami, falls on the Navami, ninth day of the Chaitra month
of Hindu lunar year in 'Shukla paksha' or waxing moon.
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This day, thus named Chaitra Masa
Suklapaksha Navami, marks the end of nine-day Chaitra-Navratri celebrations. In some places the festival lasts, the
whole nine days of the Navratras, thus the period is called 'Rama Navratra'.
Rama is the hero of the Hindu epic, Ramayan, it is marked by continuous recitals,
Akhand Paath, mostly of the Ramacharitamanas, organized several days in advance
to culminate on this day, with elaborate bhajan and kirtan singing, and distribution
of prasad after the puja and aarti. Images of baby Rama are placed on cradles
and rocked by devotees.
Since Lord Rama is believed to have born
at noon, temples and family shrines are elaborately decorated and traditional
prayers are chanted together by the family in the morning. Also, at temples
special havan (yajna) are organized, along with chanting of Vedic mantras and
offerings of fruits and flowers. Many Hindus mark this day by Vrata (fasting)
through the day followed by feasting in the evening, or at the culmination of
celebrations.
In South India, the day is also celebrated as the wedding anniversary
of Rama and his consort Sita, thus ceremonial wedding ceremonies, Sitarama Kalyanam,
of the celestial couple are held at temples throughout the region, with great
fanfare and accompanied by group chanting of name of Rama, Rama nama smaranam.
The important celebrations on this day
take place at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh and Rameswaram
in Tamil Nadu, thronged by thousands of devotees, and Rathayatras, the chariot
processions, also known as Shobha yatras of Rama, his wife Sita, brother Lakshmana
and devotee Hanuman, are taken out at several places, including Ayodhya where
thousands of people take a dip in the sacred river Sarayu.
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