Mumbai: Ram Navami was celebrated in the city with great enthusiasm on Sunday. Temples organised Satyanarayana pujas, havans, and kirtans to celebrate the birth of Lord Ram.
The day was also an important day for temples dedicated to the Mother Goddess which are observing the Chaitra Navaratri festival. Mumbadevi temple opened for devotees at 5.30am with a mangala aarti. The Chandi havan ceremony began at 10.00am and the day's ceremonies concluded with the poornahuti, the ritual signifying the conclusion of the festival at 5.30pm. Similar rituals were held at Matunga's Marubai temple and Mahalaxmi temple.
“As it was a Sunday, a huge crowd had gathered outside the temple since dawn. Considering the intense heat of April, the temple administration has set up two large pavilions outside the temple. To manage the crowd, additional security guards and volunteers have been deployed. The Lokmanya Tilak Marg police station has also arranged for the usual police bandobast,” said temple manager Hemanth Jadhav.
Temples like the Shree Ram Mandir, Wadala, had a ceremony where an idol of Lord Ram as an infant is placed in a decorated cradle and rocked by devotees.
At the Asthika Samaj temple in Matunga, devotees are allowed to perform milk abhishekam on the idols of Lord Ram and his consorts. This is the only day in the year when devotees are allowed to perform this ritual. Young and old devotees participated in the ceremony. At Sri Sankara Mattham, Matunga, a poornahuti was conducted where the Goddess was offered a saree, fruits, ghee and pulses and all the idols were bathed with holy water.
Photos from Ashtika Samaj, Marubai, Shankara Mattham, and Mumbadevi temples
