cultural Heritage of India - Unity in Diversity

cultural Heritage of India - Unity in Diversity

The God Zeus of olimpia

The God Zeus of olimpia

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The 10 riskiest foods causing food poisoning

Earn using a special tool called spicy-nodes

Earn using a special tool called spicy-nodes

A city round in Madurai.

About Madurai

 

The present day city of Madurai is said to have been known as Kadambavanam, a forest. Lord Indra was worshipping Swayambhu, the Lingam in the forest which was noticed by Dhananjaya, a farmer. The Lingam was under the Kadamba tree. He reported about what he saw in Kadambavanam to King Kulasekara Pandiya.
Thus the king ordered to clear the forest in the place and to build a temple around the Lingam. With the temple as the center, a city was soon planned and developed. When the city was created it is said that a drop of honey fell on the town from the hair of Lord Shiva who appeared.Thus the city was named as Mathuram, meaning sweetness in Tamil, which is now changed to Madurai.
Lord Shiva has performed about sixty-four wonders called "Thiruvilaiyadals" in the city of Madurai and thus Madurai occupies a very important place in the history. Megasthanes visited Madurai in the 3rd century BC and the place is said to be visited by many people from Rome and Greece and they were involved in the trade with the Pandiya Kings who were ruling over the place in those days.
Madurai is said to have flourished in the 10th century AD which was the time when the Pandiya's kingdom was captured by the Cholas. From 920 AD till the beginning of the 13th century, Madurai was ruled over by the Cholas. Then Madurai was captured again by the Pandiyas and they ruled the place from 1223 AD. It was the Pandian Kings who spread the language of Tamil and many master pieces in the Tamil language like “Silapathikaram”  said to have been created in those days.
Malik Kafur, the general of Alauddin Khilji who was ruling over the region of Delhi had raided Madurai in the year 1311, for precious stones, jewels and gems. Then Madurai was raided by many other Muslim rulers. Madurai became a province of the Delhi Empire in the year 1323 which came under the rule of the Tughlaks.
The Vijayanagar Dynasty of Hampi came in the year 1371 to capture Madurai. In those days, the Vijayanagar Empire Kings has appointed people who were called by the name Nayaks to rule their places. In return the Nayaks paid some fixed amount to the Kings.
When Krishna Deva Raya, one of the Kings of the Vijayanagar Empire died in the year 1530 AD, the Nayaks took over the territories and began to rule them. Thirumalai Nayak is one of the famous Nayaks who is still famous among the people in Madurai. He ruled over the place from 1623 to. 1659.The Thirumalai Nayak has created many magnificent structures in the city like the Raja Gopuram of the Meenakshi Amman Temple, The Thirumalai Nayakar's Palace and the Pudu Mandapam which are still places visited by the people.
It was in the year 1781 that Madurai began to be ruled by the British and the first collector for Madurai was George Procter. In the early days Madurai and Dindigal were situated in the same district which was then separated.
Today in the state of Tamil Nadu, Madurai stands as an important city that connects the Northern and the Southern Tamil Nadu with 15 State Assembly constituencies and two parliament constituencies. Another famous thing that attracts people in Madurai is the Jasmine flowers. It is being sent to the other parts of India and also exported to foreign countries.

Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple

The Madurai Meenakshi Temple is located just one kilometer from the bus stand in the city of Madurai. Meenakshi is the residing deity in the temple. Kulasekara Pandya was the king who was the one who constructed the temple. But it is said that the temple developed in the reign of the Nayaks. It was in the 16th to the 18th century when the temple was built to what is now called as the Meenakshi Amman Temple.
Ashta Shakthi Mandapam
When you enter the temple from the eastern gate then you will enter into a mandapam that was built by the wives of Thirumalai Nayakar namely Rudrapathi Ammal and Tholimamai. In the early days, food was distributed to devotees who traveled from a very long distance. The Thiruvilayadals of Lord Shiva is being depicted in the sculptures in the mandapam. The birth of Meeenakshi and her life as a princess is also depicted.
There is also a story behind Meenakshi who ruled as the princess over Madurai. Malayadwaja Pandya was ruling over the place in the days but he was childless. As it worried the kind and his wife, they performed yagnas and prayed to God for a child. From the fire came a little girl who had three breasts. The king was very much worried about it but he then heard a voice which said that the third breast will disappear when she meets his consort. The princess learnt all the skills and turned into a very brave princess and she was the one who stood the first in the times of war. It was in the battle field of the Kailas that the princess lost her heart to Lord Shiva. Her third breast also disappeared and their wedding took place. She then realized that she was none other than Parvati, Shiva’s wife. From then they ruled over the city of Madurai as Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. The wedding of the Lord Shiva and Meenakshi takes place every year as a very grand festival and there is the procession of the Lord and Meenakshi for 9 days and the wedding takes place on the tenth day in the month of Chithrai.

Meenakshi Nayakkar Mandapam
Next to the Ashta Shakthi Mandapam is situated the Meenakshi Nayakkar Mandapam which is famous for the pillars within. There are about 110 pillars in the mandapam in which the Yalli which has the head of the elephant and the one with the lion’s body is the most special of them.
Potramaraikulam (Golden Lotus Tank)
The tank in the Meenakshi Amman Temple is known as the Potramaraikulam meaning the Golden Lotus Tank. In the earlier days devotees took bath in the tank. The poets of the Tamil Sangam met in the place that surrounds the tank. The judgement for the work of the people in the field of literature was done here. There are steps in all the sides of the tank which takes the devotees down to the tank.

Golden Lotus find at the centre of the tank

Oonjal Mandapam
On the western side of the tank are situated the Oonjal and the Killikoontu mandapam. Meenakshi and Sundareswarar idols are made to swing in the mandapam every Friday. In the mandapam are situated about 28 pillars which has the sculptures of the Hindu mythology. There are parrots in the Kilikoontu Mandapam that utter the name of the Lord in the Meenakshi Amman Temple. 

Meenakshi shrine
At joining the Onjal mandapam is situated the Meenakshi Shrine where in Goddess Meenakshi is placed. There is huge crowd to worship the Goddess on Friday which is believed to be the day to worship the Goddess. During the holiday season there are people thronging in the temple from all over the country and all the year round there are tourists from the foreign countries too.

Swami Sundareswarar Shrine
Lord Sundareswarar’s shrine is situated in the Northern side of the Kilikoontu Mandapam. There is the idol of Lord Sri Ganesh called as the Mukkurini Pillaiyar. It is believed that the idol was found when the king Thirumalai Nayakar planned to built a tank about 3 kms from the temple. He found the idol and brought the same to the temple and erected it there.
The kadamba tree is present in the outer pragaram of the Lord Shiva’s shrine. There is a dancing posture of the Lord present in the Shrine called as the velli ambalam which is covered with Silver all over. This is the one of the idol of Nataraja which is called as the Velli Sabhai. There is many Sabhai’s present in the temples of Lord Shiva all over the state.
The Thousand Pillar Mandapam
The hall with 1000 pillars can be seen when one enters the temple from the eastern entrance. Today there are only 985 pillars in the hall. One will also be able to see the musical pillars in the temple. The tourist will able to see in front the history that covers about 1200 years in the form of icons, photographs and drawings and sculptures.
Vasanta Mandapam
Today Vasanta Mandapam is known as Pudhu Manadapam for the people in the city. There are various sculptures within that depict the wedding of the Lord and Meenakshi.

Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam
It is situated at Madurai that is about 5 kms from the Meenakshi Amman Temple . There is a huge tank and in the middle is situated a Vinayakar temple. There is a temple located with the tank. The water supply for the tank is from the Vaigai River.
There is a float festival organized in the month of Thai which is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of King Thirumalai Nayak who was born on the day of Poosa Day, a special day in the Tamil month of Thai. The tank is decorated with lights and tourists from all the surrounding areas attend the festival.

Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal
It is one of the important tourist attractions in Madurai situated very near to the temple. It was built by the King in the year 1636. An Italian architect built the palace for the king. The king and family resided in the palace. The Swargavilasa and Rangavilasa are the two parts in the palace. There are various other places in the palace where the tourists are allowed to go.
The tourist can visit the palace for an entrance fee. It is said that during the British rule in India the place was used for administrative purposes. Now the Archaeological Department of the country has declared the palace as a national monument and now the palaces has been renovated and open for public. In the evenings, the Light and sound show takes place in the palace in which the life history of the king and rule in Madurai is being told with sound and light effect.

Gandhi Museium
Madurai stands as the living monument of the “Father of the Nation” Mahatma Gandhi. The Gandhi Memorial Trust came into existence after the assassination of Gandhi in the year 1948, through funds raised by public contribution. The trust allocated a huge amount to set up Gandhi Memorial Museums in seven places in the country associated with the life of Gandhi.
Madurai was selected as one among the seven places for setting up the memorial as several important decisions were made by Gandhi during his visit to Madurai. It was during his visit to Madurai in the year 1921, he made up his mind to wear a small towel like dhothi around the waist as his dress after seeing the poor people dressed in scarce clothes. He was mentally agitated and took up a firm decision to give up his rich dressing pattern. Still, one can find a firm proof at the residence where Gandhi started his simple mode of dressing. Also Gandhi visited Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple in the year 1946 when Harijans were allowed for the first time into the temple.
The palace of Rani Mangammal of Nayak dynasty with about 13 acres of land which was later occupied by the Nawabs and East Indian Company was gifted by the State Government for the construction of Gandhi Memorial Museum in the year 1955. Gandhi Memorial Museum stands as a living legend exhibiting the value of life, work and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
One can divide the Gandhi Memorial Museum into various sections such as exhibition, pictorial gallery, Khadi and Village Industries Section, open air theatre and library.
The exhibition on “India Fights for Freedom” includes 265 depicts, illustrating the history of freedom movement. This is followed by an exhibit on handicrafts. Then is the picture gallery presenting a visual biography of Mahatma Gandhi through photos, sculptures, paintings, quotations, manuscripts and some original articles.
This is followed by the Khadi and Village Industries Section exhibiting some of the village industries. Gandhi museum includes a big open air theatre where weekly film shows, cultural programs and public meetings are held on special occasions. The library in the museum contains books on Gandhiji, cultural background of India and allied literatures. The library protects about 27,000 letters of Gandhiji and 62 reels of micro-films. The library includes a research section with a meeting hall. Book review meetings are held periodically. Also a science park is up for the benefits of the children.
Gandhi Memorial Museum at Madurai serves on broader prospective conducting exhibitions, study circle meetings, seminars, fine arts training courses, summer camps, group discussions, classes on Yogasana and Naturopathy. Besides these, the museum conducts educational program for college and high school students of Madurai City. The program would be held for a day including class room study with film projection, slide show and museum gallery tour.
A committee including gandhian leaders, social workers, educationalists and representatives from the State and the Central Governments are administering the Gandhi Memorial Museum at Madurai.

 Gandhiji's Belongings

Azhagar Kovil

About 21 kms from the city of Madurai is situated the beautiful temple of Azhagar Koil . It is a temple that has the residing deity as Vishnu. The Lord here is known by the name Azhagar. He is the brother of Goddess Meenakshi and when the wedding of the Lord and Goddess takes place in the month of Chithrai, Azhagar travels from here to Madurai to witness the wedding of the Lord.

Alagar Malai(Kovil) - A Detailed Description - Click to View !

Palamudhircholai

One of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya, Palamudhirsolai is situated above Azhagar Koil in the hills about 4 kms away. At the top of the hill is situated the natural spring Nuburagangai where the pilgrims take bath which is at Sri Raakachi Amman Temple.

Palamuthircholai - A Detailed Description - Click to View !

 Thiruparamkundram

 It is one of the six abodes of Lord Muruga, stands 10km south from Madurai . It serves as the best among the Arupadai Veedu of Lord Muruga, attracting rolling crowds all the year. Thirupparankundram, the place where Lord Muruga was married with Devayanai, is considered as a sacred place for marriages.
This rock cut temple has separate shrines for Lord Ganapathy, Shiva, Durgai, Vishnu and other deities. The entrance of the temple is built with 48 Nayaka period pillars with artistic carvings engraved on them. The speciality of Thirupparankundram temple is that the innermost shrine is carved from a single rock.
Another interesting fact about the Thirupparankundram temple is the presence of subsidiary cave shrines excavated in the rock, with idols arranged so orderly like a military session. These small cave shrines can be approached through narrow dark passages. It is quite difficult to find similar group of cave shrines elsewhere.

Thiruparamkundram - A Detailed Description - click to View ! 

Art & Culture
The people of Madurai, are polite, good natured, cordial, friendly and harmonious. They have good respect for tradition. They prefer wearing traditional clothes like Saree and Dhavani. The streets in Madurai are alive through 24 hours. People of Madurai are hard working, sportive and cultured. They entertain themselves with movies and amusement parks. Madurai portrays both traditional and modern aspects. Madurai is famous for its traditional sport called “Jallikattu”, which is fiercer than “bull fight” - the favorite sport of Latin natives in Europe and South America. Along with powerful Jallikattu, Madurai has rich heritage for its village ballads, folk dance, dramas and songs. Age old folklore, religious festivals and rituals have helped Madurai to design and develop handicrafts which are used and worn on special occasion. The wide range of products include household utilities like, metalwork, pottery, carvings in wood and stones, leather goods, carpets and patch work. Madurai Handloom textiles both cotton and silk sarees and men’s wear are globally appreciated.
Madurai is place were “Muthamil Sangam” was created and preserved. It is popularly called as “Sangam Vaithu Tamil Valartha Madurai”. It is known for Iyal (Literature), Isai (Music) and Nadagam (Drama), which had their roots in the rural folk dances. The various types of folk dances include Karagattam, Theru Koothu, Devaraattam, Kummi, Kavadiattam, Poikkal Kudhirai attam, Kai Silambu attam, Puli Attam, Mayilattam, Thappaattam, Kollatam, Kazhai Kottu, Chakkai attam, Bommalattam or Puppet Show, Bagavatha Nadanam, Oyilattam, Urummi Attam, Kamandi or Kaman Pandigai, Kali Attam, Sevai Attam, Villu Pattu.
Madurai is famous for Bharatha Nattiyam and Carnatic music. It has yielded number of famous personalities in music and Bharatha Nattiyam, who are shining all over the world. Some of the famous Carnatic singers include M.S. Subbulakhsmi, Madurai Mani Iyer, T. N. Seshagopalan, Madurai N.  Krishnan, and so on. One of the famous Bharatha Nattiyam dancer’s from Madurai is Rukmini Devi Arudale. Hundreds of personalities have developed and are spreading the Indian culture and tradition all over the world. One of the famous ballad often delivered in Madurai is the ballad Desingu Rajan Kadhai.

A Brief about Allanganallur Jallikattu - Clilk to View ! 

Rameshwaram - Tale of Lord Sri Ram.

 

Benaras of the south

 

Rameshwaram is an island situated in the gulf of manner at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. A very important pilgrim centre of the Indians. Rameshwaram is the place from where Lord Rama, built a bridge across the sea to rescue his consort Sita, from her abductor, Ravana. This is also the place where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva to cleanse away the sin of killing Ravana. Both the Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this pilgrimage which is known as the Varanasi the south.


Rameshwaram is significant for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to Benaras is incomplete without a Pilgrimage to Rameshwaram. The presiding deity is the Linga Of Sri Ranganatha, which happens to be one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of India. Rameshwaram is also popularly referred to as the 'Benaras of the south'. In order to attain Moksha it is believed that the visit to Rameshwaram is mandatory.

Mythological History

According to the Hindu mythology i.e. the story of Ramayana performed as a thanksgiving rituals to Lord Rama after the battle at Sri Lanka and his triumph over the demon king Ravana. Owing to this Rameshwaram attracts Vaishnavites (worshippers of Lord Vishnu) and Saivites (worshippers of Lord Shiva) alike. Sri Lanka is at a distance of 24 kilometers from Rameshwaram. In fact the entire area of Rameshwaram is associated with various incidents from the Ramayana. Rameshwaram happens to one of the most visited pilgrim sites in India.

Location and Area

The religious island is spread in an area of 61.8 square kilometers and happens to be in the shape of a conch. The Ramanatha Swamy Temple occupies major area of Rameshwaram. The masterpiece of Dravidian architecture boasts of the largest temple corridor in India. Different rulers built the Ramanatha Swamy Temple over a period of time starting from the 12th century. The temple comprises of twenty-two wells where the taste of the water of each well is different from the other.

Rameswaram Temple Corridor

The grandest part of the temple is the 1219 m pillared corridor consisting of 3.6 m high granite pillars, richly carved and well proportioned. The perspective presented by these pillars run uninterruptedly to a length of nearly 230 m.

According to the Puranas, upon the advice of Rishis (sages), Rama along with Sita and Lakshmana, installed and worshipped the Sivalinga here to expiate the sin of Brahmahatya (killing of a bramin), Ravana, (the son of Vishrava and the great grandson of Brahma). Rama fixed an auspicious time for the installation and sent Anjaneya to Mount Kailas to bring a lingam. As Anjaneya could not return in time, Sita herself made a linga of sand. When Anjaneya returned with a linga from Mount Kailas the rituals had been over. To comfort the disappointed Anjaneya, Rama had Anjaneya’s lingam (Visvalingam) also installed by the side of Ramalinga, and ordained that rituals be performed first to the Visvalingam.
In Rameswaram Temple, a spiritual "Mani Darisanam" happens in early morning everyday. This "Mani" is made of "spatikam"[a precious stone] and in form of "Holy shivling". according to ved this is "Mani" of "sheshnag".

Sethu Karai is a place 22 km before the island of Rameswaram from where God Ram is claimed to have built a Floating Stone Bridge Ramasethu from Rameswaram that further continued to Dhanushkodi in Rameswaram till Talaimannar in Sri Lanka as mentioned in the great Hindu epic Ramayana.

 

Long corridor

 

 

 

THEERTHAS IN RAMESWARAM

 

1. Sethumadhava Theertham       
2. Gayathri Theertham
3. Saraswathy Theertham
4. Mahalaksmi Theertham
5. Savithri Theertham
6. Gandhamadhava Theertham
7. Gavaksha Theertham
8. Yamuna Theertham
9. Gaya Theertham
10. Siva Theertham
11. Satyamrita Theertham
12. Sarva Theertham
13. Kodi Theertham
14. Gavaya Theertham
15. Nala Theertham
16. Neela Theertham
17. Sanku Theertham
18. Chakra Theertham
19. Brahmahatta Vimochana Theertham
20. Soorya Theertham
21. Chandra Theertham
22. Ganga Theertham

First, all the pilgrims are taking bath in the sea. Then they are taking bath at  the above mentioned 22 holy Theerthams,which are situated inside the Temple premises.For these we have to arrange a watering boy who help us to take bath in the 'Teerthams'.We have to give him a nominal charges(a resonable Rupees) for the service he is doing.After taking the 'all baths', we can enter into the temple to worship the Lord Sri Ramanatha.

Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu (Adams Bridge)

Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu (Adams Bridge) is a chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka. Geological evidence indicates that this bridge is a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka.
The bridge is 18 miles (30 km) long and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). Some of the sandbanks are dry and the sea in the area is very shallow, being only 3 ft to 30 ft (1 m to 10 m) deep in places, which hinders navigation.It was reportedly passable on foot up to the 15th century until storms deepened the channel. Temple records seem to say that Rama’s Bridge was complete above sea level until it broke in a cyclone in 1480 CE.
The name Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu (Sanskrit; setu: bridge) was given to this bridge of shoals in Rameshwaram, as Hindu legend identifies it with the bridge built by the Vanara (monkey-men) army of Rama , which he used to reach Lanka and rescue his wife Sita from the Rakshasa king, Ravana, as stated in the Sanskrit epic Ramayana.Valmiki's Ramayana attributes the building of the bridge to Lord Rama in verse 2-22-76.Adam's Bridge starts as chain of shoals from the Dhanuskodi tip of India's Rameswaram Island and ends at Sri Lanka's Mannar Island.

 Rama's Bridge built by the Vanara Army (video clip)

                              original stones picked up from Ram Setu and the scientfic validation

Ramayana and scriptures mention about the floating stones used by Hanuman and other Vanara Sena to build the Ram Setu connecting India and Srilanka at Rameswaram. In this show, you will see the original stones picked up from Ram Setu and the scientfic validation.

                                              Pamban Bridge

The Pamban Bridge on the Palk Strait connects Rameswaram on Pamban Island to mainland India. It refers to both the road bridge and the cantilever railway bridge, though primarily it means the latter. It was India's first sea bridge. It is the second longest sea bridge in India (after Bandra-Worli Sea Link) at a length of about 2.3 km.From the elevated two-lane road bridge, adjoining islands and the parallel rail bridge below can be viewed.
The railway bridge is 6,776 ft (2,065 m)and was opened for traffic in 1914. The railroad bridge is a still-functioning double-leaf bascule bridge section that can be raised to let ships pass under the bridge.
The railway bridge historically carried meter-gauge trains on it, but Indian Railways upgraded the bridge to carry broad-gauge trains in a project that finished Aug. 12, 2007. Until recently, the two leaves of the bridge were opened manually using levers by workers. About 10 ships — cargo carriers, coast guard ships, fishing vessels and oil tankers — pass through the bridge every month.
As per chronicles of Kutch Gurjar Kshatriyas mentioned in their book - Nanji Bapa Ni Nondh Pothi. The erection and construction of Pamban Bridge was done by Mistri Manji Daya with Lakhu Devji both of Anjar and Gangji Narayan of Khedoi. Together built the Railway lines and Pamban Bridge over creek of Rameshwaram to Pamban construction of which they started in year 1887 and completed in around 1910. While working on Pamban Bridge the Mistris Lakhu Devji Vegad of Anjar and Gangji Narayan of Khedoi also built famous Temple of Neel-Mandir having seven domes at Rameshwaram, construction which, they started in 1899 and completed in about five years by 1905.
According to Dr Narayanan, the bridge is located at the "world's second highly corrosive environment", next to Miami, US, making the construction a challenging job. The location is also a cyclone-prone high wind velocity zone.

                                                Pamban Bridge

                                         Tale of Sri Ram

 Characters

• Rama is the hero of the tale. Portrayed as the seventh incarnation of the god Vishnu, he is the eldest and favorite son of the King of Ayodhya, Dasharatha, and his wife Kousalya. He is portrayed as the epitome of virtue. Dasharatha is forced by Kaikeyi, one of his wives, to command Rama to relinquish his right to the throne for fourteen years and go into exile.
• Sita is the beloved wife of Rama and the daughter of king Janaka. She is the incarnation of goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. Sita is portrayed as the epitome of female purity and virtue. She follows her husband into exile and is abducted by Ravana. She is imprisoned on the island of Lanka until Rama rescues her by defeating the demon king Ravana. Later, she gives birth to Lava and Kusha, the heirs of Rama.
• Hanuman is a vanara belonging to the kingdom of Kishkindha. He is portrayed as an incarnation of the god Shiva (the Eleventh Rudra) and an ideal bhakta of Rama. He is born as the son of Kesari, a vanara king, and the goddess Anjana. He plays an important part in locating Sita and in the ensuing battle.
• Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama, who chose to go into exile with him. He is portrayed as an incarnation of the Shesha, the naga associated with the god Vishnu. He spends his time protecting Sita and Rama. He is forced to leave Sita, who was deceived by the demon Maricha into believing that Rama was in trouble. Sita is abducted by Ravana upon him leaving her.
• Ravana, a rakshasa, is the king of Lanka. After performing severe penance for ten thousand years he received a boon from the creator-god Brahma that he could not be killed by gods, demons or spirits. He is portrayed as a powerful demon king, who disturbs the penances of Rishis. Vishnu incarnates as the human Rama to defeat him, thus circumventing the boon given by Brahma.
• Dasharatha is the king of Ayodhya and the father of Rama. He has three queens, Kousalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi, and three other sons: Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Kaikeyi, Dasharatha's favourite queen, forces him to make his son Bharata crown prince and send Rama into exile. Dasharatha dies heartbroken after Rama goes into exile.
• Bharata is the son of Dasharatha. When he learns that his mother Kaikeyi had forced Rama into exile and caused Dasharatha to die brokenhearted, he storms out of the palace and goes in search of Rama in the forest. When Rama refuses to return from his exile to assume the throne, Bharata obtains Rama's sandals and places them on the throne as a gesture that Rama is the true king. Bharata then rules Ayodhya as the regent of Rama for the next fourteen years.
• Shatrughna is the son of Dasharatha and his third wife Queen Sumitra. He is the youngest brother of Rama and also the twin brother of Lakshmana.

Rama Navami

 

Rama Navami  also known as Sri Rama Navami  is a Hindu festival, celebrating the birth of Lord Rama to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya of Ayodhya. Rama is the 7th incarnation of the Dashavatara of Vishnu. The festival falls in the Shukla Paksha on the Navami, the ninth day of the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar. Thus it is also known as Chaitra Masa Suklapaksha Navami, and marks the end of the nine-day Chaitra-Navratri celebrations.
At some places the festival lasts the whole nine days of the Navratras, thus the period is called 'Sri Rama Navratra'.  It is marked by continuous recitals, Akhand Paath, mostly of the Ramacharitamanas, organized several days in advance to culminate on this day, with elaborate bhajan, kirtan and distribution of prasad after the puja and aarti. Images of infant form of Sri Rama are placed on cradles and rocked by devotees. Since Rama is the 7th incarnation of Vishnu having born at noon, temples and family shrines are elaborately decorated and traditional prayers are chanted together by the family in the morning. Also, at temples special havans are organized, along with Vedic chanting of Vedic mantras and offerings of fruits and flowers. Many followers mark this day by Vrata (fasting) through the day followed by feasting in the evening, or at the culmination of celebrations. In South India, the day is also celebrated as the wedding anniversary of Sri Rama and his consort Sita. Sitarama Kalyanam, the ceremonial wedding ceremony of the celestial couple is held at temples throughout the region, with great fanfare and accompanied by group chanting of name of Rama, (Rama nama smaranam). 

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