Ram Navami marks the birth of Rama, the prince of Ayodhya whose story is told in the Ramayana. Devotees keep a fast, read or hear the Balakanda account of his birth, decorate a small cradle, and in temples the image is bathed and rocked at noon, the hour traditionally given for his appearance. In many places it is the closing day of a nine-day Chaitra Navratri.
The festival falls on the ninth tithi (Navami) of the waxing fortnight of Chaitra, the first month of the lunar year. The birth ceremony is timed to the Madhyahna period around local midday, so the muhurta varies by longitude.
Observance is strongest in the north and in Ayodhya itself, where processions and recitations run for days; in the south the day is often kept as the wedding anniversary of Rama and Sita, with a formal Sitarama Kalyanam performed in temples.