Celebration of Lord Rama’s Birth Culminates in Three-Day Festival

Lemont IL: Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) in Lemont, Ill., culminated its eleven-day observance per tradition with three days of Rama Navami festivities that drew large crowds, according to an HTGC press release. The observance started on the April 11, the day of Ugadi (first day of the waxing phase of the moon in the month of Chaitra that marks the beginning of the Hindu new year) with the recitation of the Sundarakaanda chapter of the Ramayana and concluded on Sunday April 21 with the coronation (pattaabhisheka) of Sri Rama and the worship of the silver image of Hanuman (Rajata Hanuman Seva).

Sri Rama Navami day festivities began Friday, April 19 with the special ablution of his image (mūrti) with the five nectarine substances (vishesha panchamrutha mahabhishekam) that was followed by special ornamentation on this day (sugandha-dravya-divasa) when perfumed substances were offered for the first time at the HTGC along with adorning Sri Sita Devi and Sri Lakshmana with new clothes. Another Bhadrachala Rama image received similar ornamentation as preparation for the “wedding festival” (kalyaanotsavam) that coincides with Rama Navami in South India. Throughout this ritual procedure, the “Gaana Sudha” group of devotees chanted the Thousand Names (sahasranaama) of Vishnu and sang bhajans to Lord Rama.

Later in the evening Curnotsavam was celebrated where “happily married women” (sumangali) crushed fresh turmeric and sang bhajans. In preparation for the Kalyaanotsavam on the next day Sri Rama was decorated with the freshly crushed turmeric and tulasi leaves. The day’s events concluded with the exchange of garlands between Rama and Sita. Over 450 music lovers showed up the same evening to enjoy the concert of Carnatic music by the Priya Sisters as part of the festivities. Moreover, live Nadaswaram performance over the three days by P. Sithiravel and Shanmugha Sundaram lent the celebrations a classical ceremonial air and auspicious tone.

The packed events of Saturday started early with ritual awakening (suprabhatam) of Sri Rama. Sri Rama Taraka fire sacrifice (homa) was followed by the supreme consecration (mahaabhisheka) of the image with auspicious substances from the nine pots (kalasha) sanctified by the recitation of the Sundarakaanda over the preceding nine days. After Vishnu Sahasranaama and hymns by the Bhajan group, devotees were treated to a melodious rendition of classical compositions (krithi) on Sri Rama by Shankar Jagadeesa Iyer (vocal), Sahana Iyer (vocal), Anjana Narasimhan (violin), and Vishwak Kumaran (mridangam). The great door opened to the vision of the divine family decorated with “garlands offered by the elephant” (gaja thomala seva, modeled on the same performed at the Tirupati shrine). These exquisite flower garlands were handmade by temple devotees. The devotees witnessed the lamp offerings accompanied by drumming (candi vaadyam) by members of Chicago Kalakshetra ensemble.

At this time Lord Rama was adored in the large enclosure (mandapam) built exclusively to celebrate his wedding with Sita. Saris received from temples of Bhadrachalam (Andhra Pradesh) and Srirangam (Tamil Nadu) were carried in procession, accompanied by hundreds of devotees joined by the image of mother Sita Devi and sumangalis, to the wedding mandapam. Over 1,500 devotees celebrated this grand three-hour kalyaanam. Dance offerings were performed by Amuktha Samudrala and Parvati Achari, and also by teachers Srivani Vokkarane (Sriranga School of Dance), Pragnya Yogesh (Eshanjali School of Dance), and Vidya Pandikaran. After their offering of flowers (pushpaanjali), Yogesh performed “Bhavayami Raghuramam” (Bharata Natyam), followed by students rendering “Pahi Rama Prabho” (Kuchipudi). Vookarane then performed “Nagumomu Galavani” (Kuchipudi), followed by students rendering a Rama bhajan. Pandikaran concluded before the Mangalam with “Jaya Janaki Ramana” (Bharata Natyam).

Devotees thereafter partook of the wedding banquet. Various forms of worship (including of the horse mount and of the thousand-petaled lotus feet) were offered to the divine couple at dusk. The day concluded with solitary dance-worship (ekaanta sevaa) offered by young students from the Natya Dance Theater.

Sunday’s Suprabhatam was followed, for the wellbeing of the community, by two hours of homa for Vishnu’s discus (sudarshana) that was witnessed by over 200 devotees who were happy to be sprinkled with the sanctified water and receive the protection of the sacrifice (yajna raksha). As the priests chanted the Sri Rama Raksha Stotram and the Aditya Hridaya Parayanam, hundreds of devotees witnessed the Sri Rama Maha Pattabhishekam in the main sanctum.

Temple president Tilak Marwaha led the executive committee in honoring the priests Krishanarajan, Narasimhachari Samudrala, Sai Kosuri, Murali Kidambi, and Ram Parsad Sastry, along with the temple sculptors, Velayudham Neelamegham and Vanamurthy Achari, staff responsible for distribution of prasaad (consecrated offerings), Suryanarayana Hebbar and Senthil , and the office staff Sirisha, Nagamani, Geeta, and Jalaja for their dedicated contributions. Marwaha also acknowledged the selfless efforts of hundreds of volunteers, who contributed to the success of this eleven-day festival celebrating the birth of Lord Rama. Devotees returned after the communal meal commemorating the coronation to worship of silver vehicle of Hanuman and witness the concluding lamp offering (aarati).