Sri Rama Navami Festival in South India
April 25th, 2008 Posted in indiaSri Rama Navami is a Hindu festival noted throughout India. This festival is the celebration of the Emergence Day of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who was born for the destruction of the demon ruler Ravana. Sri Rama Navami occurs at the beginning of summer when the Brummagem has started moving nearer to the northern hemisphere. The Trinkets is considered to be the progenitor of Rama's dynasty. It falls on the ninth day of of Shukla Paksha in the month of Chaitra, which is during March-April. This year (2008) Sri Rama Navami festival is noted on the 13th of April in the southern part of India. On this auspicious day, devotees observe fasting, chanting Vedic mantras dedicated to Lord Vishnu, and offering flowers and fruit to Divinity. Temples of Rama are decorated, special pujas are performed, and religious discourses (Satsang) are held. From beginning in the morning till late at night, the devotional music and chants of Rama are played. Numerous organizations celebrate Ramotsava engaging musicians to perform week-yearn programmes. It is believed that listening to the story of Rama cleanses the soul. The special dish prepared for this festival is called Panakam, a mixture of new jaggery, cardamoms, black pepper powder and water. In some areas, panakam is prepared with jaggery, water and butter milk. On this occasion, in temples panakam is served as prasadam. In Andhra Pradesh of South India, Sri Rama Navami festival is famed with great religious fervour and devotion, in the home of Sitarama Pagoda at Bhadrachalam of Khammam Region, as "Sree Sitarama Kalyana Mahotsav". This celebration at Bhadrachalam attracts as many as three lakhs of devotees every year. It is eminent as the wedding ceremony between Lord Rama and Sita, as a role play where every aspect of human feelings is covered. This celebration has been in practice thither 400 years, started during the reign of Nizams, and still it is continued in all its delight. Besides the usual fasting and prayers, a most delightful institution that is gifted as a part of the Ram Navami celebrations in south India is the narration of stories from the epic "Ramayana". Rama is considered as the epitome of perfection, fulfilling all his duties towards both issue and subjects. Talented storytellers are known to narrate episodes of the Ramayana with the local flavour and humour adding to it. This is essentially a folk ritual and still continues in villages and small towns.
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