Spring festival · Rama

Ram Navami

Celebrating the midday birth of Lord Rama, the ideal of truth, duty and compassion.

Ram Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu. It falls on the ninth day of the bright half of Chaitra (Chaitra Shukla Navami) and is also the last day of Chaitra Navratri. Since Rama is traditionally said to have been born at midday, the main puja is done around the Madhyahna Puja Muhurat.

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Ram Navami

Date: Thu, 15 Apr, 2027
Tithi: Chaitra Shukla Navami
Madhyahna Puja: 11:04 AM – 01:21 PM
Deity: Rama

Times for New Delhi. Change the city below.

When to do the puja

Ram Navami muhurat and timings

Timings for New Delhi, Delhi

Date

Thu, 15 Apr, 2027

Tithi at sunrise

Navami (Shukla)

Sunrise

05:56 AM

Sunset

06:46 PM

Best time for Ram Navami

Madhyahna Puja Muhurat

11:04 AM – 01:21 PM

Duration 2 h 17 min

Tithi, nakshatra and key moments

Navami tithi
03:24 PM, 14 Apr – 01:21 PM
Abhijit Muhurat
11:55 AM – 12:47 PM
Madhyahna moment (Rama's birth)
12:21 PM

Inauspicious times: avoid starting the puja

Yamaganda
05:56 AM – 07:32 AM
Gulika Kaal
09:08 AM – 10:45 AM
Rahu Kaal
01:57 PM – 03:34 PM
Varjyam
09:41 PM – 11:12 PM

Choghadiya for the day and night

Day

Shubh05:56 AM – 07:32 AM
Rog07:32 AM – 09:08 AM
Udveg09:08 AM – 10:45 AM
Chal10:45 AM – 12:21 PM
Labh12:21 PM – 01:57 PM
Amrit01:57 PM – 03:34 PM
Kaal03:34 PM – 05:10 PM
Shubh05:10 PM – 06:46 PM

Night

Amrit06:46 PM – 08:10 PM
Chal08:10 PM – 09:33 PM
Rog09:33 PM – 10:57 PM
Kaal10:57 PM – 12:21 AM, 16 Apr
Labh12:21 AM, 16 Apr – 01:44 AM, 16 Apr
Udveg01:44 AM, 16 Apr – 03:08 AM, 16 Apr
Shubh03:08 AM, 16 Apr – 04:31 AM, 16 Apr
Amrit04:31 AM, 16 Apr – 05:55 AM, 16 Apr

Calculated for New Delhi, Delhi, India (sidereal Lahiri, local sunrise). Regional and family traditions can differ by a day or in the exact window; follow your family priest where they differ.

Meaning

Significance of Ram Navami

Rama is remembered as Maryada Purushottam, the person who lived within the limits of righteousness (dharma) in every role: as a son, brother, husband, friend and king. Ram Navami is a day to reflect on those values, not only to celebrate a birth.

The festival is observed with fasting, reading of the Ramayana or Ramcharitmanas, singing bhajans and a short birth ceremony at midday, when an image of baby Rama is placed in a cradle and rocked. Temples across India hold processions and the wedding of Sita and Rama is celebrated in many places.

Ending the nine nights of Chaitra Navratri, Ram Navami also brings together the worship of the Divine Mother and of Rama. In many North Indian homes, young girls are worshipped and fed (kanya pujan) on this day to conclude the Navratri fast.

The story

King Dasharatha of Ayodhya had three queens but no children. On the advice of his guru Vasishtha, he performed a sacrifice for progeny (Putrakameshti yajna) led by the sage Rishyashringa. From the fire emerged a divine figure with a bowl of sweet rice pudding (payasam), which the king shared among his queens, Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra.

In due time, on the ninth day of the bright half of Chaitra, at midday, Kausalya gave birth to Rama. Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharata, and Sumitra to the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna. The Ramayana describes the moment as one when the whole of nature was peaceful and pleasant, and Ayodhya celebrated with music and festivity.

One festival, many traditions

How Ram Navami is celebrated across India

North India (Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh)

Known as Ram Janmotsav

Devotees take a dip in the Saryu river early in the morning and visit the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Kanak Bhawan and Hanumangarhi. At midday temples celebrate the birth with bells, conch shells and cradle ceremonies. At the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, an arrangement of mirrors and lenses directs a beam of sunlight onto the deity's forehead around midday, which is called the Surya Tilak.

Why it matters there: Ayodhya is Rama's birthplace, so the festival here is both a religious and a homecoming celebration for pilgrims from across the country.

South India (Telangana: Bhadrachalam)

Known as Sita Rama Kalyanam

At the Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple in Bhadrachalam on the Godavari, Ram Navami is celebrated as the celestial wedding of Sita and Rama. The ceremony is performed with full wedding rites, and the state government traditionally presents silk garments and pearl-coated rice (muthyala talambralu) to the deities. Lakhs of devotees attend, and many homes and temples across the Telugu states hold their own Kalyanam.

Why it matters there: The temple is linked to the devotee-poet Bhakta Ramadasu (Kancherla Gopanna). Watching the Kalyanam is considered a blessing for a happy married life.

South India (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka)

Known as Sri Rama Navami

Homes and temples offer panakam (a cooling drink of jaggery, water, dry ginger, black pepper and cardamom), neer mor (spiced buttermilk) and kosambari (a salad of soaked moong dal and cucumber), which are also handed out to passers-by. In Karnataka, Ramotsava music concerts are held in many cities, and in Tamil Nadu many families read the Ramayana over the nine days leading to Navami.

Why it matters there: The cooling offerings suit the hot season and are a form of service: giving drink and food to anyone who comes is seen as honouring Rama.

West India (Maharashtra, Gujarat)

Known as Ram Navami (Ram Janmotsav)

Ram temples hold kirtan through the morning, and at midday the image of baby Rama is placed in a decorated cradle (palna) and rocked while women sing cradle songs. Prasad in Maharashtra often includes sunthawada, a mix of dry ginger powder, sugar and coconut. Many devotees keep a fast and break it after the birth ceremony.

Why it matters there: The cradle ceremony makes the celebration personal, as if a child has been born in the family.

East India (Bihar, Jharkhand)

Known as Ram Navami

Many households hoist a new red or saffron flag bearing the image of Hanuman (Mahavir jhanda) on their roof or courtyard, after a small puja. Towns hold large processions with flags, tableaux and music, and temples organise Ramayana recitations.

Why it matters there: Hanuman is honoured as Rama's foremost devotee, and the flag is placed as a sign of protection and devotion for the coming year.

North India (Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh)

Known as Navami, Kanya Pujan

Families who kept the Chaitra Navratri fast invite young girls home on Navami, wash their feet, apply tilak, tie a sacred thread and feed them puri, black chickpeas (kale chane) and halwa, with a small gift. Ramcharitmanas recitations (Akhand Path) are completed in many homes and temples.

Why it matters there: The girls are honoured as forms of the Goddess, so the day closes Navratri and celebrates Rama's birth together.

Step by step

Ram Navami puja vidhi

1
Wake early, clean the house and puja area, and take a bath. If you are keeping a fast, take the resolve (sankalp) for it now.
2
Decorate the home shrine with flowers and a rangoli. Place an image or picture of Rama with Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman on a clean cloth.
3
Keep a small cradle or a decorated plate ready for the image of baby Rama (Ram Lalla), if your family follows the birth ceremony.
4
Begin the puja with a prayer to Ganesha. Light a ghee lamp and incense, and offer water, sandalwood, roli, unbroken rice (akshat), flowers and tulsi leaves to Rama.
5
Through the morning, read from the Ramayana or Ramcharitmanas (the Bal Kand section on Rama's birth is traditional) or sing bhajans and the Ram Raksha Stotra.
6
Check the Madhyahna Puja Muhurat shown above and gather the family for the main puja within it.
7
At the Madhyahna moment (Rama's birth time) shown above, ring the bell, blow a conch if you have one, and welcome the birth. Bathe the small image with panchamrit, then with clean water, dress it, and place it in the cradle.
8
Offer the prasad: panakam, kosambari, sweets such as kheer or panjiri, fruits and tulsi leaves on everything offered.
9
Rock the cradle gently while singing a cradle song or chanting 'Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram'.
10
Perform aarti of Rama and then of Hanuman, and ask forgiveness for any mistakes in the puja.
11
Distribute prasad and, if you are fasting, break the fast after the puja or as your family tradition directs.

Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

Glory to Shri Rama, victory to Rama. A simple chant anyone can repeat through the day.

Om Shri Ramaya Namah

I bow to Lord Rama. Can be chanted 108 times with a rosary during the puja.

Shri Rama Rama Rameti Rame Rame Manorame, Sahasranama Tat Tulyam Rama Nama Varanane

Chanting the name Rama, in whom the mind delights, is equal to reciting the thousand names of Vishnu. A verse traditionally said to have been spoken by Shiva to Parvati.

What you need

Puja samagri (items)

Image or picture of Rama Darbar (Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman)
Small image of baby Rama and a cradle, if customary
Clean red or yellow cloth
Ganga jal or clean water
Panchamrit (milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar)
Sandalwood paste, roli and turmeric
Unbroken rice (akshat)
Tulsi leaves
Flowers and garlands
Ghee lamp (diya) and incense
Conch and bell
Panakam ingredients (jaggery, dry ginger, pepper, cardamom)
Kosambari or soaked moong dal
Fruits and sweets for prasad
Ramayana, Ramcharitmanas or a bhajan book

Fasting

Ram Navami vrat rules

Many devotees fast on Ram Navami from sunrise. Some fast without food, others take fruit, milk and fasting foods (phalahar) such as sabudana, kuttu or singhara flour dishes.
Grains, lentils, onion, garlic and non-vegetarian food are avoided during the fast. Rock salt (sendha namak) is used instead of ordinary salt by many.
Traditions on breaking the fast (parana) differ: many families break it after the midday birth puja, others after the evening aarti, and some the next morning after Navami ends. Follow your family custom.
Those who kept the full Chaitra Navratri fast often conclude it with kanya pujan on Navami or Ashtami.
Anyone who is pregnant, elderly, diabetic, on regular medication or unwell should adapt the fast, for example by eating fruit and light meals, and consult a doctor if unsure. This is not medical advice.

Do's and don'ts

What to do, and what to avoid

Do

Do the main puja during the Madhyahna Puja Muhurat shown above and mark the birth at the Madhyahna moment.
Read or listen to the Ramayana or Ramcharitmanas, at least the story of Rama's birth.
Offer and share cooling drinks such as panakam or buttermilk with neighbours, workers and passers-by.
Visit a Rama or Hanuman temple, or join a community bhajan or procession peacefully.
Give food, water or clothes to those in need.
Reflect on one of Rama's values, such as keeping one's word, and practise it.

Avoid (inauspicious)

Do not start the main puja during Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda or Gulika, which the page lists as times to avoid. If the midday window overlaps them, follow the Madhyahna Puja Muhurat shown above.
Avoid non-vegetarian food, alcohol, onion and garlic on this day.
Avoid anger, quarrels and harsh words, especially towards elders.
Do not waste food or water; this is a summer festival and water is precious.
In processions, avoid loud provocative slogans or anything that disturbs neighbours of other faiths.
If fasting, do not push your body beyond what is safe in the heat; drink water as your fast allows.

Common questions

Ram Navami FAQs

Why is Ram Navami puja done at midday?

The Ramayana describes Rama's birth at midday on Chaitra Shukla Navami. So the main puja is done in the Madhyahna period, and the birth is marked at the Madhyahna moment, both of which are shown above for your city.

What is panakam and why is it offered?

Panakam is a drink of jaggery and water flavoured with dry ginger, black pepper and cardamom. It is the traditional Ram Navami offering in South India, along with buttermilk and kosambari. These cool the body in the summer heat and are shared freely as prasad.

Is Ram Navami the end of Chaitra Navratri?

Yes. Chaitra Navratri runs from Pratipada to Navami of the bright half of Chaitra, so Ram Navami is its final day. Many families perform kanya pujan and conclude their Navratri fast on this day.

Can I keep a Ram Navami fast if I work or have health problems?

Yes, in a form that suits you. A fruit-and-milk fast or simply avoiding grains and onion-garlic for the day is common. People with diabetes, pregnancy, or other health conditions should consult a doctor before fasting.

Why is Sita and Rama's wedding celebrated on Ram Navami in the South?

In the Telugu states and in some temples elsewhere, the day is celebrated as the Sita Rama Kalyanam, with full wedding rites for the deities. Bhadrachalam in Telangana holds the best-known ceremony. It celebrates Rama as both the divine child and the ideal householder.

What can I do if I cannot do a full puja?

Light a lamp before a picture of Rama during the Madhyahna Puja Muhurat, offer a flower and some fruit or jaggery, and chant 'Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram' with sincerity. A simple, attentive prayer is fully in the spirit of the day.