Ram Navami 2023: How the Festival is Celebrated in South India, and Foods They Offer as Naivedyam

RAM NAVAMI 2023: The festival of Ram Navami holds a special place in the hearts of Hindus. The Chaitra Navaratri ends with Ram Navami, the day on which Lord Rama was born. This year, Ram Navami falls on March 30.

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In different states of India, the festival is celebrated in different ways. North India and states like Gujarat observe Navratri with great zest and zeal, and the southern states are also in for big celebrations. In states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, the day is also considered as the marriage day of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita.

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Rameswaram Temple is one of the main holy sites that celebrate the festival with thousands of devotees. Another holy place is Bhadrachalam in Telangana, which is a pilgrimage site where the whole family of Lord Rama is worshiped.

In Karnataka, Ram Navami is celebrated by performing a ceremonial marriage ritual of Lord Rama and Mata Sita, which is known as Kalyanam. Temples also serve special prasad on the occasion of Ram Navami.

Naivedyam is a food offering given to the Hindu deity as a part of the ritual. This food is first served to the god, and tasting it beforehand is strictly forbidden.

Many different food items are offered as Naivedyam for Ram Navami such as:

1. Kheer or Payasam
   Kheer is known to be the favourite food item of Lord Rama. Be it sabudana kheer or payasam, kheer is a must when it comes to Ram Navami prasad. Kheer is made from milk sugar and rice. In sabudana kheer, rice is replaced with sabudana and payasam is commonly made with rice vermicelli.
2. Kosambari
   Kosambari is a kind of salad that is commonly made from moong dal, cucumber, coconut and chilli.
3. Panakam
   Panakam is a cooling drink that is one of the most important prasad offered to deities on the occasion of Ram Navami. The ingredients used in it are jaggery, cardamom, dry ginger, salt and black pepper, among others.
4. Neer Mor
   Neer Mor is diluted buttermilk which is offered to Lord Rama as a prasad. It is a great option as the month of Chaitra is in summer, and buttermilk is a cooling drink.
5. Laddu
   When talking about prasad, we can never forget laddu. It is one of the most common offerings to Lord Rama on Ram Navami.