Ram Navami marks the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, on the ninth day (navami) of the bright fortnight of Chaitra (March–April), at midday in Ayodhya. King Dasharatha and his three queens had been childless; the sage Vasishtha performed a putrakameshti yajna, and from the sacrificial fire the divine prasada was distributed among the queens. Kausalya, the eldest, received the largest portion and bore Rama; Kaikeyi bore Bharata; Sumitra, who received the smaller portions of both, bore the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna.

Rama's life — exile, the abduction of Sita by Ravana, the building of the bridge to Lanka, the war and Ravana's death, the return to Ayodhya — is the great epic of the Ramayana. Ram Navami marks not merely a birthday but the appearance of dharma itself in human form.

Devotees observe a fast, sometimes complete, sometimes restricted to fruits and milk. Temples — especially the great Rama temples at Ayodhya, Bhadrachalam, and Sitamarhi — see huge crowds. Recitations of the Ramayana, especially the Balakanda (the book of childhood), fill the day.

At noon — the exact moment of Rama's birth — the idol of the infant Rama is bathed, dressed, and rocked in a cradle; arati is performed and prasad is distributed. In south India, Rama Navami is also the marriage day of Rama and Sita (Sita Kalyanam), enacted in elaborate temple ceremonies.