Ram Navami is not a Gregorian date. It is Shukla paksha tithi 9 of Chaitra in the amanta reckoning, and the Gregorian day it lands on moves by up to a month between years because twelve lunations fall about eleven days short of a solar year.
Tithi
Navami, Shukla paksha
Lunar month
Chaitra (amanta)
Tithi begins
14 Apr, 3:24 PM
Tithi ends
15 Apr, 1:22 PM
Decided at
Madhyahna (middle of the day)
Madhyahna in New Delhi
15 Apr, 12:21 PM
Madhyahna in New Delhi falls at 12:21 PM on that day, and that is the instant the tithi has to be running at for the day to carry the observance. It is computed for this city rather than assumed, because it is what decides the date.
The two instants above are the astronomy and are not in dispute. The day is an interpretation of them: this observance is decided at madhyahna, so it belongs to the day whose madhyahna the tithi carries — not simply to the day the tithi begins.
All Ram Navami 2027 muhurat · New Delhi
Ram Navami muhurat
Ram Navami, Chaitra Shukla Navami, is the birthday of Shri Rama, born to Queen Kausalya and King Dasharatha in Ayodhya at midday, and it closes Chaitra Navratri. In New Delhi it falls on Thursday, 15 April 2027: the Madhyahna Muhurat for the birth puja is 11:04 AM to 1:38 PM, the midday moment is 12:21 PM, and Navami runs 3:24 PM (14 Apr) to 1:21 PM.
All Ram Navami 2027 muhurat in New Delhi
Muhurat
Time in New Delhi
What it is for
Madhyahna Muhurat (the birth puja)
11:04 AM to 1:38 PMMadhyahna, the middle fifth of the day, on Ram Navami — the hour of Rama's birth. Navami ends at 1:21 PM, inside it.
The middle fifth of the day, the span in which Rama was born. The main puja, the birth celebration and the stuti belong here. In years when Navami begins or ends inside this span, calendars still print the whole of it; then do the birth puja while Navami runs.
Madhyahna moment
12:21 PMThe middle of the day, between sunrise and sunset.
The exact middle of the day between sunrise and sunset in New Delhi: the moment temples mark as Rama's birth, with bells, the conch and the first aarti of the newborn.
Abhijit Muhurat
11:55 AM to 12:47 PMThe 8th of the day's fifteen muhurtas, around local noon.
Tulsidas names the Abhijit muhurta as the hour of the birth; it falls inside the madhyahna. Calendars by convention mark no Abhijit on a Wednesday, and then the madhyahna alone is used.
Sunrise (bath and sankalp)
5:56 AMThe upper edge of the Sun on the horizon, with refraction.
Bathe and take the sankalp of the fast after sunrise; where the Navratri kalash is kept, its morning puja follows.
Auspicious windows that day
Auspicious windows that day
Window
Time in New Delhi
What it is
Abhijit Muhurat
11:55 AM to 12:47 PM
Auspicious
Brahma Muhurat
4:26 AM to 5:11 AM
Auspicious
Windows usually worked around
These are the spans classical muhurta sets aside for beginnings. They are descriptions of a convention, not warnings: the observance is kept on its day regardless, and nothing here needs to be bought, corrected or remedied.
Windows usually worked around
Window
Time in New Delhi
Rahu Kaal
1:57 PM to 3:34 PM
Yamaganda Kaal
5:56 AM to 7:32 AM
Durmuhurta First
10:13 AM to 11:04 AM
Durmuhurta Second
3:21 PM to 4:12 PM
Varjyam
9:41 PM to 11:12 PM
Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Thursday, 15 April 2027, from the sunrise, sunset and the positions of the Sun and Moon for this city. The Vedic day runs sunrise to sunrise, so a window whose clock time falls after midnight still belongs to the evening before; a time on another date carries that date.
Puja vidhi · step by step at home
Ram Navami puja vidhi
Bath and sankalp
Rise early, bathe and wear clean clothes, yellow if you have them. After sunrise, with water, rice and a flower in the right hand, take the sankalp of the Ram Navami fast and puja.
Set up the altar
Clean the shrine and spread a red or yellow cloth. Place a picture or idol of the Ram Darbar, Rama with Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman; many families also lay a small idol of the infant Rama, Ram Lalla, in a decorated cradle. Set a kalash of water with mango leaves beside it.
Ganesha first
Worship Ganesha with roli, rice, flowers and durva, then invite Rama to the altar with folded hands.
Worship Rama
Offer water for the feet and hands and to sip, bathe the infant idol in panchamrit and then clean water, dress it in new clothes, and offer chandan, roli, akshat, yellow flowers and tulsi leaves, with incense and a ghee lamp.
The birth at midday
In the madhyahna, the hour of Rama's birth, ring the bells and blow the conch, shower flowers on the cradle and rock it gently, and sing 'Bhaye pragat kripala'; families greet the birth with 'Shri Ramchandra ki jai'.
Naivedya
Offer panjiri, panchamrit, kheer, fruits and sweets, with a tulsi leaf on each; in the South, panakam and soaked moong dal.
Recite and chant
Read the birth episode of the Ramcharitmanas Bal Kand or the Ram Raksha Stotra, or chant 'Shri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram' on a tulsi mala, 108 times or more.
Aarti
Perform the aarti with a ghee lamp and camphor, singing 'Shri Ramchandra Kripalu', and take the blessing of the flame; then distribute the prasad.
Close Chaitra Navratri
If you keep Chaitra Navratri, do the kanya pujan with halwa, puri and chana and the havan in the morning while Navami runs, and end the Navratri fast as your family's custom says.
Break the fast
Those fasting until the birth take phalahar after the midday puja; those keeping the whole day live on fruit and milk and break the fast the next morning, after a short puja.
Samagri · what to keep ready
Ram Navami puja samagri list
A picture or idol of the Ram DarbarRama with Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman.
A small idol of the infant Rama and a cradleFor the birth celebration at midday, where the family keeps it.
A red or yellow clothTo spread on the altar.
A kalash, mango leaves and a coconutFor the kalash beside the altar.
PanchamritMilk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar, to bathe the idol and as prasad.
New clothes and ornaments for the idolYellow is customary.
Roli, chandan, akshat and mauliFor the tilak and the worship.
Yellow flowers, a garland and tulsi leavesTulsi goes on every offering; pick it in the morning.
Incense, a ghee lamp and camphorFor the puja and the aarti.
A conch and a bellSounded at the moment of birth.
NaivedyaPanjiri, kheer, fruits and sweets; panakam and soaked moong dal in the South.
The Ramcharitmanas or the Ram Raksha Stotra, and a tulsi malaFor the reading and the japa.
For the kanya pujan (Navratri)Halwa, puri, black chana, red chunaris and small gifts for the girls.
Mantras · in Devanagari, with meaning
Ram Navami mantras and aarti
Bhaye Pragat Kripala (the birth stuti, Ramcharitmanas)
कह दुइ कर जोरी अस्तुति तोरी केहि बिधि करौं अनंता । माया गुन ग्यानातीत अमाना बेद पुरान भनंता ॥ करुना सुख सागर सब गुन आगर जेहि गावहिं श्रुति संता । सो मम हित लागी जन अनुरागी भयउ प्रगट श्रीकंता ॥
ब्रह्मांड निकाया निर्मित माया रोम रोम प्रति बेद कहै । मम उर सो बासी यह उपहासी सुनत धीर मति थिर न रहै ॥ उपजा जब ग्याना प्रभु मुसुकाना चरित बहुत बिधि कीन्ह चहै । कहि कथा सुहाई मातु बुझाई जेहि प्रकार सुत प्रेम लहै ॥
माता पुनि बोली सो मति डोली तजहु तात यह रूपा । कीजै सिसुलीला अति प्रियसीला यह सुख परम अनूपा ॥ सुनि बचन सुजाना रोदन ठाना होइ बालक सुरभूपा । यह चरित जे गावहिं हरिपद पावहिं ते न परहिं भवकूपा ॥
बिप्र धेनु सुर संत हित लीन्ह मनुज अवतार । निज इच्छा निर्मित तनु माया गुन गो पार ॥
Bhae pragata kripala dinadayala Kausalya hitakari Harashita mahatari muni mana hari adbhuta rupa bichari Lochana abhirama tanu ghanasyama nija ayudha bhuja chari Bhushana banamala nayana bisala sobhasindhu Kharari
Kaha dui kara jori astuti tori kehi bidhi karaun ananta Maya guna gyanatita amana beda purana bhananta Karuna sukha sagara saba guna agara jehi gavahin shruti santa So mama hita lagi jana anuragi bhayau pragata Shrikanta
Brahmanda nikaya nirmita maya roma roma prati beda kahai Mama ura so basi yaha upahasi sunata dhira mati thira na rahai Upaja jaba gyana prabhu musukana charita bahuta bidhi kinha chahai Kahi katha suhai matu bujhai jehi prakara suta prema lahai
Mata puni boli so mati doli tajahu tata yaha rupa Kijai sisulila ati priyasila yaha sukha parama anupa Suni bachana sujana rodana thana hoi balaka surabhupa Yaha charita je gavahin haripada pavahin te na parahin bhavakupa
Bipra dhenu sura santa hita linha manuja avatara Nija ichchha nirmita tanu maya guna go para
Meaning: The merciful one, kind to the humble, Kausalya's benefactor, appeared. The mother rejoiced at the wondrous form that steals the hearts of sages: delightful eyes, a body dark as a rain cloud, his own weapons in four arms, a garland of forest flowers, wide eyes, an ocean of beauty, the slayer of Khara. Folding her hands she said: O endless one, how can I praise you, whom the Vedas and Puranas call beyond maya, the gunas and knowledge, beyond all measure; the ocean of compassion and joy, home of every virtue, whom scripture and saints sing: that Lord of Lakshmi, who loves his devotees, has appeared for my sake. The Vedas say universes made of maya rest in every pore of your body, and you dwelt in my womb: hearing this, even steady minds waver. When this understanding dawned, the Lord smiled and, meaning to perform many deeds, told her the lovely tale of her earlier life, so that she might love him as a son. Then her mind changed and she said: dear one, give up this form and play as a child, a joy beyond compare. Hearing her, the lord of the gods became a baby and began to cry. Those who sing this story reach Hari's feet and do not fall into the well of worldly life. For the sake of Brahmins, cows, gods and saints the Lord took birth as a man, in a body made by his own will, beyond maya, the gunas and the senses. From the Bal Kand of Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas.
When and how: Sung at the madhyahna, at the moment of birth, as the cradle is rocked; those who cannot sing all of it sing the first stanza.
Rama Taraka mantra
श्री राम जय राम जय जय राम
Shri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram
Meaning: Shri Rama; victory to Rama; victory, victory to Rama. A traditional thirteen-syllable mantra of Rama's name, especially loved in Maharashtra.
When and how: Chanted on a tulsi mala through the day, 108 times or more; temples sing it in chorus at the birth.
Meaning: O fair one, I delight in Rama, Rama, Rama, the delightful; the name of Rama equals the thousand names. Shiva's words to Parvati in the Padma Purana, recited at the close of the Vishnu Sahasranama and in the Ram Raksha Stotra.
When and how: Said three times; tradition holds that saying it thrice equals reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama.
Om Shri Ramaya Namah
ॐ श्रीरामाय नमः
Om Shri Ramaya Namah
Meaning: Om, salutation to Shri Rama. A traditional salutation, and the first name of the Rama Ashtottara Shatanamavali.
When and how: Said with each flower or tulsi leaf offered, or as japa, 108 times.
AartiShri Ram Stuti: Shri Ramchandra Kripalu (Tulsidas)the full text
श्री रामचन्द्र कृपालु भजुमन हरण भवभय दारुणं। नव कंज लोचन कंज मुख कर कंज पद कंजारुणं॥१॥
कन्दर्प अगणित अमित छवि नव नील नीरद सुन्दरं। पटपीत मानहुँ तडित रुचि शुचि नौमि जनक सुतावरं॥२॥
Shir mukut kundal tilak charu udaru ang vibhushanam. Ajanu bhuj shar chap dhar sangram jit Khardushanam. (4)
Iti vadati Tulsidas Shankar Shesh muni man ranjanam. Mam hriday kanj nivas kuru kamadi khaldal ganjanam. (5)
Man jahi rachyo milahi so var sahaj sundar sanvaro. Karuna nidhan sujan sheel sneh janat ravaro. (6)
Ehi bhanti Gauri asees sun Siya sahit hiya harshit ali. Tulsi Bhavanihi pooji puni-puni mudit man mandir chali. (7)
Jani Gauri anukool Siya hiya harashu na jai kahi. Manjul mangal mool vam ang pharkan lage.
Text as it is commonly sung: the five stanzas of Tulsidas's Vinaya Patrika (pad 45), then two stanzas and a sortha from his Ramcharitmanas (Bal Kand, doha 236, where Gauri blesses Sita), which are not part of the Vinaya Patrika hymn. The Gita Press Vinaya Patrika prints only the five stanzas, in the same words. Printed text
Katha · the story and its meaning
Ram Navami katha and significance
The katha
King Dasharatha of Ayodhya had three queens, Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra, but no son. He had the sage Rishyashringa perform the putrakameshti, the sacrifice for sons, and from its fire rose a divine being holding a vessel of payasa, sweet rice cooked in milk, which the king shared among his queens.
The gods, meanwhile, were tormented by Ravana, who had won a boon that no god, demon or spirit could kill him and had not thought men worth naming; they prayed to Vishnu, who promised to be born as a man. Valmiki's Ramayana places Rama's birth to Kausalya in Chaitra, on Navami, under the Punarvasu nakshatra, with Cancer rising, Jupiter beside the Moon and five planets exalted; soon after, Kaikeyi bore Bharata, and Sumitra the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna.
Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas gives the hour: Navami of the holy month of Madhu, the bright fortnight, the Abhijit muhurta dear to Hari, midday, neither cold nor hot. Vishnu first appeared to Kausalya in his four-armed form; at her prayer he became an infant and began to cry, and her praise, 'Bhaye pragat kripala', is what households sing at noon on Ram Navami.
Why it is kept
Rama is honoured as Maryada Purushottam, the best of men, who keeps within the bounds of dharma: a son who gave up a throne to keep his father's word, a husband, brother and friend who kept every promise, and a king whose rule, Ram Rajya, became a name for just government. Ram Navami celebrates the birth of this seventh avatar of Vishnu at midday, which is why its puja, unlike most, belongs to the middle of the day.
The day closes Chaitra Navratri, so the goddess's nine days end with Rama's birth, and many homes finish a nine-day reading of the Ramcharitmanas or the Ramayana on it. Hanuman Jayanti follows on the full moon of Chaitra, and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh celebrate the day with Sita Rama Kalyanam, the wedding of Rama and Sita.
Upay · traditional practice
Ram Navami upay: traditional remedies
Ram naam japa
Chant 'Shri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram' or 'Om Shri Ramaya Namah' on a tulsi mala, 108 times or more. Tradition holds Rama's name to be the simplest and the greatest of practices.
Read the birth episode
Read or listen to Rama's birth in the Ramcharitmanas Bal Kand, or the Sundarkand; families keep this for peace and harmony at home.
Tulsi with the bhog
Place a tulsi leaf on every offering; tulsi is held dear to Vishnu, and a bhog without it is considered incomplete.
Water and buttermilk for others
Set out water, panakam or buttermilk for people in the season's heat, as homes and pandals in the South do; giving in Rama's name is believed to please him.
A lamp at the Ram Darbar
Light a ghee lamp before the Ram Darbar in the evening; it is believed to keep a family united, as Rama's brothers stood by one another.
Keep a promise
Rama gave up a kingdom to keep his father's word. Tradition counts a promise kept, or an old quarrel or debt set right, as the truest offering of the day.
The custom, in short
Ram Navami do's and don'ts
Do
Bathe early and take the sankalp of the fast after sunrise.
Keep the main puja and the birth celebration for the madhyahna, while Navami runs.
Place a tulsi leaf on every offering.
Read or hear the Ramayana or the birth episode of the Ramcharitmanas.
Do the Navratri kanya pujan in the morning while Navami runs, if you keep the Navratri.
Share prasad, water and buttermilk with visitors and passers-by.
Don't
Do not eat grains, onion or garlic if you keep the fast.
Do not hold the birth celebration before the madhyahna; Rama was born at midday.
Do not pluck tulsi leaves after sunset; gather them in the morning.
Do not quarrel, lie or speak harshly on Rama's day.
Do not take alcohol or non-vegetarian food.
Across India
Ram Navami customs and food
By region
Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh)
Pilgrims bathe in the Saryu and crowd the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Kanak Bhawan and Hanuman Garhi; the birth is announced at noon with bells and conches, and at the new temple a system of mirrors and lenses lays a tilak of sunlight on Ram Lalla's forehead.
Bihar and Jharkhand
Families raise a new red or saffron Mahaviri flag, Hanuman's banner, at the house and the temple, and akharas lead great processions; Hazaribagh's is the best known.
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (Sri Rama Navami)
Temples perform Sita Rama Kalyanam, the wedding of Rama and Sita, most famously at Bhadrachalam on the Godavari, and give out panakam and vadapappu.
Karnataka
Panaka, kosambari and neer majjige, spiced buttermilk, are served at temples and street pandals, and Bengaluru holds weeks of Ramanavami concerts of Carnatic music.
Tamil Nadu
Homes and temples hold Rama Navami bhajans and offer panakam, neer mor and kosumalli; some families and bhajan groups extend the celebration over nine days.
Maharashtra
Temples hold kirtans through the morning that end at noon with the cradle ceremony and the chant 'Shri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram'; sunthavada, dry ginger powder with sugar and dry coconut, is the prasad.
ISKCON and Vaishnava temples
Devotees fast until sunset and hold abhishek and kirtan; their calendars can keep the festival a day apart from other almanacs.
North Indian homes
The Ramcharitmanas read through Navratri is completed, girls are worshipped at the kanya pujan, and Ram Lalla's cradle is rocked at noon.
Bhog, prasad and fasting food
Dhaniya panjiriRoasted coriander powder with sugar, ghee and dry fruit, the North's naivedya for the birth.
PanakamJaggery water spiced with dry ginger, black pepper and cardamom, the South's cooling Rama Navami drink.
Neer mor or neer majjigeThin buttermilk with ginger, curry leaves and salt.
Kosambari or kosumalliSoaked moong dal with cucumber, coconut and lemon.
VadapappuSoaked moong dal, the Telugu prasad offered with panakam.
Kheer or payasamSweet rice in milk, recalling the payasa from which the four brothers were born.
SunthavadaDry ginger powder with sugar and dry coconut, Maharashtra's birth-day prasad.
Halwa, puri and chanaFor the kanya pujan that closes Chaitra Navratri.
PhalaharFruit, milk, sabudana or kuttu for those fasting.
Ram Navami across five years
Two years back, this year, and two ahead. Past years are kept rather than dropped so you can check the engine against a calendar you already have.
Ram Navami across five years
Year
Date
Status
2024
Wednesday, 17 April 2024
past
2025
Sunday, 6 April 2025
past
2026This year
Thursday, 26 March 2026
past
2027
Thursday, 15 April 2027
upcoming
2028
Monday, 3 April 2028
upcoming
Every row is computed for New Delhi from the same ephemeris, not looked up. Sunrise decides which day a tithi names, and sunrise differs across India by more than an hour, so a date computed for Delhi can be a day out elsewhere.
Why calendars disagree about this date
There is no single authority that settles a Hindu festival date, and the divergence is genuine rather than sloppy. Three causes account for almost all of it.
A tithi rarely starts at sunrise. One that is running at the deciding moment on two days — or on none — is claimed by both days under different rules.
Month reckoning. North India runs purnimanta, the south and west amanta. The same dark fortnight carries different month names in the two, so an observance defined as "krishna X of month Y" can land a full lunation apart.
Which moment decides. Most vratas belong to the day whose sunrise carries the tithi, but not all: this one is decided at madhyahna. Almanacs that apply the sunrise rule to everything move several festivals by a day.
So this page shows its working. If your pandit or your family almanac gives a different day, the instants above will usually show you exactly why — and that is more useful than a date asserted without one.
In New Delhi, Ram Navami is on Thursday, 15 April 2027. It is Chaitra Shukla Navami, the ninth day of Chaitra's bright half, and Navami runs 3:24 PM (14 Apr) to 1:21 PM; the festival is kept on the day when Navami holds at midday, the hour of Rama's birth.
Why does another calendar give a different Ram Navami date?
Navami usually spans two calendar days, and Ram Navami is kept on the day when Navami holds at the madhyahna, the middle of the day; if it holds at midday on both days the later day is kept, and if on neither, the day it holds at sunrise. Where Navami begins or ends near midday, almanacs for different places can land on different days, and ISKCON and some other Vaishnava calendars follow their own rules and can keep it a day later. This page applies the madhyahna rule for New Delhi.
What is the Ram Navami muhurat in New Delhi?
The Madhyahna Muhurat, the middle fifth of the day, is 11:04 AM to 1:38 PM in New Delhi; the birth puja, the stuti and the aarti are done in it, while Navami runs. In years when Navami begins or ends inside this span, calendars still print the whole of it, so compare it with Navami's own span (3:24 PM (14 Apr) to 1:21 PM).
At what time was Rama born?
At midday: the Ramcharitmanas gives Navami of Chaitra, the bright fortnight, the Abhijit muhurta and the middle of the day, neither cold nor hot. Temples mark the birth at the madhyahna moment, the middle of the day between sunrise and sunset, which in New Delhi is 12:21 PM.
Why is Ram Navami celebrated?
It is the birthday of Shri Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, born to Kausalya and King Dasharatha in Ayodhya to end Ravana's tyranny. Rama is honoured as Maryada Purushottam, the ideal of truthfulness and duty, and the day is kept with a fast, the midday birth puja, the Ramayana and Ram naam.
What does Ram Navami mean?
The name joins Rama with Navami, the ninth tithi of the lunar fortnight: Ram Navami is Rama's Navami, the ninth day of the bright half of Chaitra, on which he was born. The same day closes Chaitra Navratri, the nine nights of the goddess.
Is Ram Navami in October too? Why is it said to come twice?
No. Ram Navami comes once a year, on Chaitra Shukla Navami in March or April. The Navami of Sharad Navratri in September or October is Maha Navami, the day of the goddess's worship and kanya pujan, and the next day is Dussehra, Rama's victory over Ravana; that is why people speak of a second Navami.
How is Ram Navami puja done at home?
Bathe and take the sankalp after sunrise, set up the Ram Darbar and, if you keep it, the infant Rama's cradle, and worship Ganesha first. At the madhyahna bathe the idol in panchamrit, dress it, offer tulsi, flowers and naivedya, sing 'Bhaye pragat kripala' as the cradle is rocked, and end with the aarti and prasad.
How is the Ram Navami fast kept?
Most households fast from the morning until the midday birth puja and then take phalahar; others live on fruit and milk through the day and break the fast the next morning, and ISKCON temples fast until sunset. Grains, onion and garlic are avoided; the ill, the elderly and pregnant women can keep a lighter fast or none.
What is 'Bhaye Pragat Kripala'?
It is the chhand in the Bal Kand of Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas that describes Rama's birth: Kausalya sees Vishnu in his four-armed form, praises him and asks him to become a child, and he begins to cry as a baby. Households and temples sing it at the madhyahna on Ram Navami; its full text is given above.
Which aarti is sung on Ram Navami?
'Shri Ramchandra Kripalu Bhaju Man', a stuti of Tulsidas from the Vinaya Patrika, is the usual aarti of Rama, sung with a ghee lamp and camphor after the birth puja; its text is given above. Many homes then sing 'Om Jai Jagdish Hare' as well.
How are Ram Navami and Chaitra Navratri connected?
Ram Navami is the Navami of Chaitra Navratri, so the nine days of the goddess end with Rama's birth. Kanya pujan and the havan are done in the morning while Navami runs; in years when Navami begins only around midday, families do them the next morning, before Navami ends (3:24 PM (14 Apr) to 1:21 PM).
How is Ram Navami celebrated in Ayodhya?
Pilgrims bathe in the Saryu and fill the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Kanak Bhawan and Hanuman Garhi, and processions and Ramayana recitations run through the town. The birth is announced at noon with bells and conches, and at the new temple a system of mirrors and lenses lays a tilak of sunlight on Ram Lalla's forehead.
Is Ram Navami a holiday? Are banks and the stock market closed?
Ram Navami is a public holiday in many Indian states, but whether banks, offices and the stock exchanges close depends on that year's official lists, published by the state governments, the RBI and the exchanges, and on whether the date falls on a weekday. This page computes the festival date, Thursday, 15 April 2027 in New Delhi, not holiday schedules.
Which mantra or shloka should I chant on Ram Navami?
The simplest is Rama's name: 'Shri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram' or 'Om Shri Ramaya Namah', 108 times on a tulsi mala. 'Shri Rama Rameti', said three times, is held equal to the Vishnu Sahasranama, and the Ram Raksha Stotra is a common longer recitation; the texts are given above.
