Kathmandu, April 10
Devotees are thronging the temples and shrines dedicated to the Hindu god Ram throughout country since the morning today on the occasion of Ramnawami festival.
This festival is celebrated on Chaitra Shukla Nawami (the ninth day of the bright half in the month of Chaitra as per the lunar calendar).
A large number of devotees have thronged since early morning at the Shree Ramchandra Temple at Battisputali, the Ram temple on the other side of the Pashupatinath, the Ram temple at Arubari in Gokarneshwor Municipality, among other Ram temples in the capital as well as across the nation.
Minister for Law, justice and Parliamentary Affairs Govinda Prasad Sharma Koirala visited the Shree Ramchandra Temple at local Battisputali to pay homage, said Dr Govinda Tandan, member-secretary of the temple management committee.
Ramnawami festival is celebrated to commemorate the victory of truth over evil and to the memory of god Ram. The festival celebrates the descent of Vishnu as the Ram avatar, through his birth to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya in Ayodhya during the Treta Yuga.
The day is marked by Ram Katha recitals, including the epic Ramayan which narrates the tale of Ram.
Ram's reign in Ayodhya is remembered till this day as an exemplary in statecraft. Ram is worshipped as an ideal man devoted to his father and mother, respecting elders and loving the younger. It is said that Lord Vishnu took birth in the form of Ram in the world to protect the righteous by ending the evil in the universe.
Former Associate Professor of Valmeeki Vidhyapeeth Shri Ram Sapkota shared that the festival of Ram Nawami was celebrated with the hope that we too would have the same qualities as Ram.
It is mentioned in the scriptures including Ramayan that fasting, worshiping and paying homage to Shri Ram on the day of Ramnawami will bring happiness, peace and prosperity in this world.
