Sita Navami
| Sita Navami | |
|---|---|
 Image depicting the manifestation of Sita from the Earth | |
| Also called | Janaki Navami, Sita Jayanti, Janaki Jayanti |
| Type | Hindu |
| Observances | Puja, Vrata (fast), recitation of the Ramayana and other versions, Sita Puja |
| Date | 5th May 2025 |
| Frequency | Annual |
Sita Navami (Sanskrit: सीतानवमी, romanized: Sītānavamī) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of the goddess Sita, the princess of Janakpur, one of the National Heroes of Nepal and also one of the most popular deities in Hinduism, an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi. It is celebrated on the navami (ninth day) of the Shukla Paksha (first lunar fortnight) of the Hindu month of Vaishakha.[1]
Legend
[edit]According to the Ramayana, the infant Sita appeared or manifested from a divine earthen pot in the kingdom of Mithila from a farm field to King Siradhvaja Janaka and Queen Sunayana.[2] According to regional tradition, this site is identified to be at the Punaura Dham of the Sitamarhi district of Bihar, India. The date and time of the manifestation of the infant Sita is recorded as the ninth day of Shukla Navami in the Vaishakha month of Ayilyam nakshatra in the Ramayana. It is said that when King Siradhvaja Janaka was ploughing the land with a plow, a part of his plough got stuck in the earth. On digging that place, he found an infant girl in an earthen pot. A tip of the plow is called Sita, and hence the girl was named Sita and was adopted as the king's daughter.[3] Sita later married Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. Sita is revered for her loyalty, devotion and sacrifice to her husband. She is considered the epitome of womanhood and is regarded as the ideal wife and mother in the Indian subcontinent.[3]
Description
[edit]Sita Navami celebrates the anniversary date of the appearance or manifestation of Sita. On the occasion of Sita Navami,[4] married women fast for their husbands's long life.[5]
In the city of Sitamarhi, a grand religious one day internal circumambulation of the city known as Antar Griha Parikrama which is a part of the larger Sitamarhi Dham Parikrama is organised on the day of Janaki Navami. It starts from the sacred site Urvija Kund, believed to be the birthplace of Goddess Sita, at the Janaki Sthan and after the completion of the circumambulation it ends at the same Urvija Kund.[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Sita Navami 2024: Plant Parijat for happiness and prosperity". The Times of India. 2024-04-30. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Publishing, Bloomsbury (2011-09-13). Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations [2 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 457. ISBN 978-1-59884-206-7.
- ^ a b "Sita Navami 2023: Date, history, significance and all you need to know". The Economic Times. 2023-04-28. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ "Sita Navami 2025: Date, history and significance". Holiday Today. 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ "Sita Navami 2024 : सीता नवमी कब है? नोट कर लें डेट, पूजा- विधि, शुभ मुहूर्त और महत्व". Hindustan (in Hindi). Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ "सीतामढ़ी में चौदह कोसी परिक्रमा के लिए निकली माता सीता के डोला का जगह-जगह स्वागत - Dola of Mata Sita who came out for Chaudah Kosi Parikrama in Sitamarhi is being welcomed from place to place". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ "सीतामढ़ी धाम की परिक्रमा यात्रा जानकी स्थान उर्विजा कुंड से शुरू". Dainik Bhaskar.