Navi Mumbai celebrates the birth of Lord Ram

NAVI MUMBAI: Ram mandirs in Navi Mumbai wore a festive look yesterday, drawing huge crowds of devotees, as celebrations for Ram Navami were held throughout the day. At temples in Belapur, Kharghar, Ghansoli and Panvel, devotees lined up to commemorate the birth of Lord Ram.
“The celebrations begin on Gudi Padwa and end on Ram Navami, the ninth day. The day also signifies the marriage of Ram and Sita,” said Shrinivas Kumar, a resident of Kharghar.
Fasting on this day is not a compulsion but many devotees choose to do so in a belief that one attains salvation. There are others who believe that by repeatedly chanting Lord Ram’s name, one’s sins are washed away and peace is attained.
“Chanting the mantra, followed by distribution of prasad, is also an important part of the day’s rituals,” said a devotee, Anuradha Pillai.
Apart from the regular ritual, where the idol is bathed and grandly adorned and then prayers are offered, bhajans are sung throughout the day, either by the pujari or the devotees.
Like every year, even today, lakhs of devotees from far-flung areas thronged to the Ram mandir at Belapurgaon, which is more than 150 years old, to pay their obeisance to Lord Ram. At the auspicious time of 12.40pm, five married women swung the decorated cradle carrying the golden idol of the Lord. They were dressed up in traditional Maharashtrian attires and sang praises of the Lord.
This fortnight-long festival at Belapurgaon is being organized by Ram Maruti Janam Utsav Mandal, Belapur since 1952. This year, the estimated cost of the celebrations touched nearly Rs 10 lakh, said a committee member.
Fifty-year-old Sumati Pandhare, a devotee from Pawne village said, “It is our family tradition to come and celebrate Ram Navami here, every year, since the last 50 years. After my parents and in-laws, now it’s my turn to fulfill the custom.” A 15-day fair or jatra, was also organized.
More than 5,000 people attended the procession at midnight, where the idol was carried in a decorated palanquin.
Meanwhile, women of different ages came together to organize Chait Navaratri, also known as Vasant Durga Puja under the banner, Bangiya Matri-Sangha in Koparkhairane. The celebrations were held at the Lion’s Club ground level, sector 10, Koparkhairane.
The women, under the leadership of Channda Chakraborty, one of the senior-most citizens of Navi Mumbai, took up the challenge of arranging a three-day celebration, making all the arrangemnets, right from promotion, marketing, PR, to puja rituals, bhog preparation and distribution by themselves.
A 12-feet-high Durga idol was put up at the puja mandap. Sandhipuja, which marked the onset of Ram Navami, was conducted between 2.53am-3.40am on April 7 and ended with the celebration of Ram
Navami.
Priest Barun Chakraborty said, “This is the ninth year of this festival run by the city women.”