Festival · 2026
Ram Navami 2026 — Thursday, 26 March 2026
Ram Navami marks the birth of Rama at midday in Ayodhya and closes the nine days of Chaitra Navratri.
In 2026
Thursday, 26 March 2026
- Tithi
- Shukla Navami (Shukla): 26 Mar, 11:49 AM – 27 Mar, 10:07 AM
- Lunar month
- Chaitra
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:18 AM / 6:35 PM
- Madhyahna moment
- 12:27 PM
| Puja muhurat | 11:49 AM – 1:40 PM |
|---|---|
| Madhyahna | 11:13 AM – 1:40 PM |
Rule: Chaitra Shukla Navami prevailing at madhyahna (the middle fifth of the day), when Rama was born.
In 2027
Thursday, 15 April 2027
- Tithi
- Shukla Navami (Shukla): 14 Apr, 3:24 PM – 15 Apr, 1:21 PM
- Lunar month
- Chaitra
- Sunrise / sunset
- 5:56 AM / 6:46 PM
- Madhyahna moment
- 12:21 PM
| Puja muhurat | 11:04 AM – 1:21 PM |
|---|---|
| Madhyahna | 11:04 AM – 1:38 PM |
Rule: Chaitra Shukla Navami prevailing at madhyahna (the middle fifth of the day), when Rama was born.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Ram Navami?
Ram Navami celebrates the birth of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu and the hero of the Ramayana. It falls on Chaitra Shukla Navami, the ninth day of the bright half of Chaitra, and closes the nine days of Chaitra Navratri. Tradition holds that Rama was born at midday in Ayodhya to King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya, which is why the main worship of the day centres on the middle of the day.
The Ramayana tells how the childless Dasharatha performed a sacrifice for sons, after which Rama and his brothers Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna were born. Rama’s life, from his exile and his devotion to duty to his return to Ayodhya, made him maryada purushottam, the ideal person who stays within the bounds of right conduct. For many devotees, his name itself is a prayer.
Ram Navami is a day to reflect on those ideals: truthfulness, keeping one’s word, and care for family and for others. Temples read the Ramayana and the Ramcharitmanas in the days leading up to it, and at midday the birth is celebrated with bells, conches and songs. In Ayodhya the day draws very large numbers of pilgrims to the banks of the Sarayu and the temples of the city.
How it is observed
- Fasting until midday or through the day, and breaking the fast after the midday worship.
- Celebrating the birth at madhyahna with an image of the infant Rama placed in a cradle.
- Reading or listening to the Ramcharitmanas or the Valmiki Ramayana, often completed over the nine days of Navratri.
- Chanting Rama’s name and singing bhajans in temples and homes.
- Offering panakam (jaggery water) and neer mor (spiced buttermilk) in south Indian homes and temples.
- Taking out processions (shobha yatras) with images of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman.
- Bathing in the Sarayu and visiting temples in Ayodhya.
How the date is fixed
Ram Navami is Chaitra Shukla Navami, the ninth lunar day of the bright half of Chaitra. Since Rama is believed to have been born at midday, the deciding window is madhyahna: the daylight from sunrise to sunset is divided into five equal parts, and madhyahna is the middle one. The day on which Navami prevails during madhyahna is Ram Navami; if Navami covers madhyahna on two days, the first is taken.
Where practice differs
Ram Navami is observed across India, but its flavour differs: large processions in north India, the midday birth celebration in Ayodhya, and in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana the celestial wedding of Rama and Sita (Sita Rama Kalyanam), famously at Bhadrachalam. In parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, devotees hold nine or more days of music and discourse, sometimes continuing after Navami. When Navami is split across two days, Smarta and Vaishnava calendars can occasionally differ by a day, following their own rules about the preceding Ashtami.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Why is Ram Navami celebrated at midday?
Tradition holds that Rama was born at noon in Ayodhya. The main worship takes place in madhyahna, the middle part of the day, and our calendar uses that window to fix the date.
Is Ram Navami the last day of Chaitra Navratri?
Yes. Chaitra Navratri begins on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada and ends on the ninth lunar day, which is Ram Navami.
Can Ram Navami fall on different days in different calendars?
Occasionally, yes. When Navami spans two days, calendars that follow slightly different rules, such as some Vaishnava traditions, may choose the other day.