Ram Navmi 2024: Date, Auspicious Time, Puja Vidhi, and Religious Significance

Ram Navmi is one of the most celebrated festivals in Sanatan Dharma. This festival is especially significant as it honors not one but two deities - Lord Ram and Goddess Durga. Every year, Chaitra Ram Navmi is celebrated on the Navmi (Ninth) Tithi (day) of the Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month. Chaitra is the first month in the lunar calendar of Sanatan Dharma; with Ram Navmi Puja, devotees welcome the new year with this auspicious festival, which is celebrated by worshipping Lord Ram and all the 9 avatars or manifestations of Goddess Durga.

Religious Significance of Ram Navmi

As per Hindu Shastra, Lord Ram, Lord Vishnu's seventh avatar, was born on Ram Navami. Lord Ram was born in the kingdom of Ayodhya (northern India) to King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya. With his three brothers - Lakshman, Shatrughan, and Bharat, he gained education under the guidance of Sage Vashishth, who was considered the Guru of the Ayodhya or Raghu Kul. Due to his strict adherence to Dharma, he is recognized as 'Maryada Purushottam,' which translates to 'the best of men,' as he possesses an exemplary character and all the virtues of an ideal human being, including courage, respect, honesty, diligence, integrity, self-discipline, thankfulness, and more.

Lord Ram is considered the embodiment of Dharma (righteousness), as he fulfilled all his duties as a son, husband, prince, and king with honesty and sincerity. To celebrate his glory and the victory of moral over immoral, devotees celebrate Ram Navmi every year with great enthusiasm and dedication. In addition to celebrating the birth of Lord Ram, devotees worship Maa Sita, Lord Hanuman, Lord Lakshman, Lord Bharat, and Lord Shatrughan for their contribution to establishing Dharma in society. Lord Ram's family is visually represented as Ram Darbaar, the photos of which are kept in house temples. This year's Ram Navmi is extra special as this will be the first time when devotees will celebrate Ram Navmi with Ram Lala in Ayodhya.

On the same day, goddess Siddhi Datri, the 9th manifestation of Goddess Durga, is also worshipped. Along with worshipping Lord Ram, a ritual called Kanya Pujan is performed, which includes feeding food (Kheer or Halwa, Puri, Chana, and Sabzi) to 9 little girls as they are considered the equivalent of 9 avatars of Goddess Durga. Through this ritual, devotees show gratitude to the Goddess for caring and protecting them and seeking blessings for a prosperous future.

When is Ram Navmi 2024?

This year, Ram Navmi will be celebrated on April 17th, 2024 (Wednesday). According to Panchang, Navmi Tithi is starting at 1:23 PM on the 16 April and ending at 3:15 PM on the 17 April. Since Sanatan Dharma considers Udaya Tithi, Ram Navmi 2024 will be celebrated on 17th April this year.

Shubh Muhurat for Ram Navmi 2024

This year, Shubh Muhurat for Puja for Ram Navmi is between 11:10 AM to 01:24 PM. On Ram Navmi, people prepare food in their homes and invite little girls to feed them food and seek their blessings. This ritual is called Kanya Pujan. Many people consider doing this during the Shubh Muhurat as the planets and energies are more aligned, making this time more auspicious for Kanya Pujan.

On the other hand, the Madhyahn time is at 12:21 PM. It is believed that Lord Ram was born during the Madhyahn time. So, devotees can perform Puja and seek blessings of Lord Ram around this time.

Puja Vidhi for Ram Navmi

Although every devotee has their individual beliefs and system for performing rituals, there are certain rituals that everybody can perform to seek blessings from Goddess Durga and Lord Ram. The following is a brief Puja Vidhi for every devotee, which they can perform anywhere - Ram Navmi Puja - at home, offices, factories, or any other intended location.

a. For Kanya Pujan

Wake up in the Brahma Muhurat and take a bath.
Wear clean clothes. Clean your house temple and the place of the Kanya Puja ritual.
Clean yourself and perform Puja.
Clean your kitchen and prepare Suji Halwa, Puri, Chane, and Aaloo Sabzi.
Invite 9 girls and 1 boy to your house.
Welcome them by washing their feet and wiping them with a cloth.
Make them sit comfortably and apply Roli and Chawal (Vermillion and Rice grains) on their forehead.
Adorn the girls with Red Chunari as a mark of respect for the divine feminine energy.
Feed them with freshly prepared food and water.
Once they finish their meal, offer them Nariyal Prasad and Shagun money and touch their feet before they proceed to another house for the Kanya Pujan ritual.

b. For Worshipping Lord Ram

A day before Ram Navmi, decorate your houses with Bandarvaar and hoist Shri Ram Pataaka (flag) on your house roofs.
On Ram Navmi, take a bath, clean your kitchen, and prepare Panchamrit and Prasad.
Clean your house temple, decorate Ram Jhula, and adorn Lord Ram with a flower garland.
Apply Chandan Tilak and chawal on Lord Ram's idol and the Ram Darbaar photo, light a Diya, and sing aarti and bhajans.
Afterward, request the youngest girl child of the family to apply Tilak and Akshat (Rice grains) to the foreheads of every family member and tie Kalawa (Hindu Holy Red thread) on everybody's wrist.
Devotees should recite Shri Ram Stuti, Ram Aarti, and Shri Ram Kavach, along with performing a Vedic Havan to invite positive energies into the house and invoke the blessings of Shri Ram. Along with worshipping Lord Ram, make sure to worship Lord Lakshman, Mother Seeta, and Lord Hanuman, as every Puja of Lord Ram is incomplete without the Puja of their family.
To perform the Puja with Vedic Vidhi and mantras, you can book Pandit for Ram Navmi Puja. Many platforms provide pandit booking services for Ram Navmi Puja no matter if you live - in Delhi, Mumbai, Ranchi, Ahmedabad, or any place.
Once you have performed all the rituals, offer Panchamrit and Prasad to Lord Ram's idol.
Then, distribute the Prasad and Panchamrit amongst family members and neighbors.