Ram Navami Celebrations Mark Culmination Of Chaitra Navratri Across Mumbai

Mumbai: Devotees across Mumbai are preparing to celebrate Ram Navami, the Hindu festival marking the birth of Lord Rama, as the nine-day Chaitra Navratri festival draws to a close. The occasion, which falls on the Navami Tithi of the Shukla Paksha in the Hindu month of Chaitra, also coincides with the worship of Goddess Siddhidatri, the ninth manifestation of Goddess Durga.

This year, the festival began on 19 March and will conclude on 27 March. While some religious institutions are observing Ram Navami on 26 March, owing to the Navami Tithi commencing at 11:46 a.m., many temples have scheduled the main celebrations for 27 March, when the Tithi continues. 

Devotees traditionally mark the day with fasting, prayers, and chanting of the name of Lord Rama. In Matunga, the century-old Asthika Samaj, also known as Ram Mandir, has been hosting elaborate celebrations since the start of Navratri. The programme has included daily rituals and discourses on the Valmiki Ramayana delivered by noted scholar Senkalipuram Sri Sankara Rama Dikshitar. On the concluding day, devotees will be permitted to perform abhishekam—a ceremonial bathing—of the idols of Lord Rama and his consorts using milk.

In a bid to promote Vedic learning, the Samaj has, for the first time, invited students from Sri Gautama Veda Vidya Gurukulam to participate in the festivities.

At the Sri Sankara Matham, where the period is observed as Vasantha Navarathri, daily homams have been conducted for devotees. The celebrations will culminate on 27 March with Kalasabhishekam, involving the ritual bathing of temple idols with sanctified water. The temple has also been organising daily Suvasini pooja for married women and annadhanam (community meals) for devotees.

Meanwhile, the Marubai Temple, Matunga, has been hosting nine days of devotional bhajans. The temple marked the occasion as Durga Ashtami on 26 March with rituals such as Navarnmantra havan, Saptashakti havan, and Kumari Pooja, along with the distribution of haldi kumkum to women.

Shree Ram Mandir in Wadala is set to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami with a grand Rathotsav at the Shree Ram Mandir in Wadala on Friday, March 27. Organised by the Shree Samsthan Gokarn Parthagali Jeevotham Math, the annual celebration marks the birth of Lord Rama, one of the most revered deities in Hinduism. Ram Navami falls on the ninth day of the Chaitra month in the Hindu calendar and coincides with the culmination of the nine-day Chaitra Navratri festival.

The highlight of the event will be the Rathotsav (chariot procession), during which idols of Lord Rama are ceremoniously placed on a decorated chariot and taken in a procession amidst devotional chants and prayers. Large numbers of devotees are expected to gather to witness and participate in the celebrations.

In Navi Mumbai, the Shree Sai Mandir is organising its annual Ram Navami and Sai Bhandara Utsav. The event, a long-standing tradition, features a large statue of Sai Baba and attracts thousands of devotees who partake in community meals and celebrations.

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