Ram Navami is the ninth day of the waxing Moon in the lunar month of Chaitra, in the last weeks of the Assamese year. It is kept in Rama temples and namghars with readings of the Ramayana and devotional song. In Assam the story is known through Madhava Kandali, who put it into Assamese verse in the fourteenth century.
The story
Madhava Kandali's Saptakanda Ramayana, written for a Kachari king, is counted the earliest translation of the Ramayana into a modern Indo-Aryan language. Its first and last books were lost and were supplied two centuries later by Sankardev and his disciple Madhavdev.
Sankardev also wrote Ram Vijay, a play on Rama's wedding, still performed as bhaona in the namghars.
How it is kept
- NaamCongregational singing in the namghar.
- Ramayana pathReadings from Kandali's text.
- BhaonaPerformances of Ram Vijay.
- FastKept by many until noon, the hour of the birth.
Why this date
Ram Navami is the Navami of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, on the day it is present at midday.
Ram Navami in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday | |
| 2027 | Thursday | |
| 2028 | Monday | |
| 2029 | Monday | |
| 2030 | Friday | |
| 2031 | Tuesday |
More Assamese festivals
22 MarchDoul Utsavদৌল উৎসৱ
14 AprilGoru Bihuগৰু বিহু
15 AprilBohag Bihuব'হাগ বিহু
20 AprilHanuman Jayantiহনুমান জয়ন্তী
6 MarchMaha Shivaratriমহা শিৱৰাত্ৰি
8 MayAkshaya Tritiyaঅক্ষয় তৃতীয়া
Where to see Ram Navami
In Assam
- Hayagriva Madhava Temple, HajoAssamA hilltop Vishnu temple revered by Hindus and Buddhists.
- Batadrava Than, BordowaAssamSankardev's birthplace, where his plays are staged.
- GuwahatiAssamProcessions from the city's Ram temples.
Across India
- AyodhyaUttar PradeshThe birthplace, where sunlight is brought on to the image at noon.
- BhadrachalamTelanganaThe day is kept as the wedding of Rama and Sita.
- RameswaramTamil NaduWhere the bridge to Lanka began.