Navami means the number 9. The number 9 is the highest number, because after 9 comes 0. Lord Rama is associated with the number 9. He was born on the 9th day of the full moon in Chaitra month. Ram Navami is basically the celebration of Lord Rama’s birthday. He is the 7th avatar of Lord Vishnu and was born with the mission to destroy Ravana and the triumph of good over evil.

Just as we do on our birthdays, we dress up Lord Rama and offer him sweets and fruits. We can fast on a diet of milk and fruits for the entire day and this is said to encourage us on the path of perfection as a human being. The Rama temples are beautifully decorated and many bhajans are sung in praise of the glory of Rama.  It is considered auspicious to read the Ramayana or Ramcharitmanas (written by Saint Tulsidas) on this day.

If I were to ask you about the people who love you, who comes to your mind almost immediately?  Surely the ones who have taken care of you, been beside you through life – your parents, friends and relatives. In the same way, if I were to ask you who Lord Rama is associated with, whose image appears foremost? It is definitely his devoted wife Sita, his supportive brother Lakshmana, and his most ideal devotee – the monkey-god Hanuman. That is why, on Rama’s birthday we also include Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman in our prayers – and this is what Rama would have liked too – because Rama becomes whole only with this trio.

In our modern times, Mahatma Gandhi was a great devotee of Lord Rama.( click here )