subject: Ram Navami Festival, celebrating the victory of righteousness [print this page] Ram Navami Festival, celebrating the victory of righteousness
The joyous Ram Navami Festival commemorates the birth of Rama, the Hindu god and protagonist of the Indian epic Ramayana. The festival has an abundance of mythology relating to it which is given great honour even in modern India.
According to legend the evil demon king Ravana was terrorizing his people after gaining great power as a result of a boon granted to him by the Hindu god Brahma which assured that he could not be slain by any divine power. Therefore fittingly it was decreed that he would die at the hands of a man. Vishnu chose to incarnate his divinity so that his avatar would be born to the noble Queen Kausalya and King Dasarath. Thus Rama was born and just as he had been destined, in time slew the demon king Ravana.
The festival is celebrated with great fervour by Vaishnavites (followers of Vishnu) but is also honoured by devotees of Shiva. It is thought that undertaking a fast on this momentous day is an auspicious act. The more fervent devotees fast for a period of nine days; the objective is not to beseech favours from the gods but to aspire to perfection in the human condition. Hindus chant Rama's name and undertake complex pujas in his honour. Temples dedicated to Rama hold bhajan sessions and special services to mark the occasion.
A popular and distinctive element in the celebrations is a discourse based on the Ramayana known as Ramayana parayana, which is provided by an expert storyteller or pundit. Some of the more talented storytellers infuse the legends with contemporary events to great acclaim attracting large crowds. These discourses typically continue for nine days.
Week-long musical features are held since Rama is one of the Hindu deities in Indian classical literature and music most often commemorated in song. On the day of the festival often an effigy of Ravana filled with firecrackers is exploded with the attendant crowds exclaiming Jai Shri Ram!'. Many sites in Northern India hold festive carnivals as part of the celebrations, with a magnificent display of fireworks on the night of Ram Navami. Sacred locations relating to Rama are visited; at Rameshwaram thousands of devotees undertake a ritual sea bath prior to uttering prayers at the temple.
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