According to Hindu belief, Ram Navami celebrates the birth of Ram, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. Vishnu incarnated as Ram to destroy Ravan, the demon king of Lanka, today’s Ceylon. Ravan, through his austere meditation, received the boon from Brahma of immortality, except by an incarnation of Vishnu. As a result, Ravan became very powerful and his tyranny knew no bounds. His followers were destroying the peace and harmony on this earth and the sages and saints could not perform their religious rites.

Finally, Vishnu took birth as the son of Kaushalya, the first queen of king Dasharath who ruled over Koshal, a part of present day Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya was its capital. The king had two other queens, Kaikeyi and Sumitra. They were also blessed with three other sons of Dasharath. Bharat was the son of Kaikeyi while Lakshman and Shatrughna were sons of Sumitra. Ram was close to Lakshman while Bharat was attached to Shatrughna.

 All the four brothers grew up under the care of king Dasharath and followed the royal tradition of the Surya dynasty. When Ram was only sixteen, sage Vishwamitra requested king Dasharath  to send Ram to kill the she-demon Tadaka and his son Marich who were causing havoc during the prayers of the sages. Ram and Lakshman accompanied Vishwamitra and killed Tadaka while her son Maricha fled to Lanka.

 In course of time Ram married Sita. Dasharath planned to declare Ram as the crown prince of Koshal. But Dasharath’s plan did not work out. Kakeyi, the second queen, was ill advised by her maid Manthara and demanded that her son  Bharat, be the crown prince and Ram leaves for the forest for fourteen years. Dasharath had to agree as he promised Kaikeyi earlier to grant her two boons whenever she desired.

 Bharata was an ideal brother. When he came back from sojourn and heard of Ram’s exile, he got furious; he drove off the maid and left for the forest to bring Ram back. Ram wanted to respect the promises of his deceased father and continued to stay in exile. Bharat came back with Ram’s sandals, placed it on the throne, and ruled the kingdom as his representative.  For the next fourteen years Bharat also led the life of a mendicant in the same way as Ram did. 

 In the forest Sita was abducted by Ravan, which resulted in a great war between Ram and Ravan. At the end, Ram, Vishnu incarnated, killed Ravan. Ram completed his period of exile and came back to Ayodhya to rule the kingdom.

 The story of Ram, narrated in Ramayana, is recalled during Ram Navami. The family of Ram is taken as our role model and inspires us to do our duty and stay on the right track in life.

 On the day of Ram Navami, Lord Ram is worshiped during the noon hours when he took birth. At the end of the rites and rituals, the priest performs the peace chant with sprinkling of consecrated water. This is followed by the distribution of sweets and fruits to the participants.

 Historians are divided in their opinion regarding the existence of Ram but one thing for sure, Ram’s life, as described in Ramayana, sets an example of a dutiful virtuous life for an Indian. It inspires us to win over the evil (Ravan), which encircles us in every situation of our lives.