Lord Ram is an avatar of Lord Vishnu who came down to to battle the invincible Ravana in human form. Lord Brahma had been recieving complaints from all the gods about the havoc that Ravana was wreaking on earth, but because Lord Brahma had granted Ravana so many boons, he could not be killed by a god. But Ravana had become so overconfident that he would never expect an attack from a human being. So Lord Vishnu agreed to go to earth in the guise of Prince Ram, the son of King Dasaratha and Queen Kaushalya.
The story of Lord Rama as told in the great epic Ramayana is one that most Indians know irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Lord Rama is a legendary figure, the epitome of all that is good and true, the man who vanquished the demon king Ravana. Lord Sree Ram is not just a hero, but he has been given the status of a god by the Hindus. Therefore, it comes has no surprise that his birth is celebrated year after year with great pomp and enjoyment on the nineth day after the new moon in Sukul Paksh (the waxing moon), which falls sometime in the month of April.
The festivities
Some people choose to fast on this day. the diet of such a person would include potatoes made in any form without haldi (turmeric) garlic, ginger or onion. They can also eat fruit and root vegetables of any kind. Curd, tea coffee, milk and water also permitted.
Bhajans praising the exploits of Lord Rama, his loyal brother Lakshman and his devoted wife Sita are sung. The house is swept clean and pictures of Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman are put on a dais in preparation for the puja. Flowers and incence are kept before the deities. There are two thaalis kept ready in the puja area. One contains the prasad and the other the items necessary for the puja like roli, aipun,rice water, flowers, a bell and a conch.
First the youngest female member of the family applies teeka to all the mail members of the family. A red bindi is applied on the foreheads of all the female members. Everyone participates in the puja by sprinkling the water, roli and aipun on the gods and then showering handfuls of rice on the deities. Then everybody stands up to perform the arti at the end of which ganga jal or plain water is sprinkled over the gathering. The singing of bhajans goes on for the entire puja. Finally, the prasad is ditributed among all the people who have gathered for worship.