Navami Tithi during Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Rama. It is believed that the time of birth of Lord Rama was Madhyahna period, which is regarded as middle of Hindu day. The time of Madhyahna, prevailing for six Ghatis (about 2 hours and 24 minutes) is considered to be most auspicious to perform the rituals of Rama Navami Puja. Temples signify the mid-point of Madhyahna as the birth moment of Lord Rama and the chanting of Shri Rama reaches its peak during this time.
Because of the widespread implementation of the western time system and Gregorian calendar, people generally assume 12 p.m. as the Madhyahna moment. This could have been correct only if the sunrise and sunset occur exactly at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. respectively. But the exact time of sunrise and sunset timings are different from six O’clock and also vary in different cities. Hence the right time to celebrate Rama Navami is between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for most of the Indian cities. Templesinindiainfo.com list Hindu mid-day moments for all cities and it is recommended that this moment be used to celebrate the birth of Shri Rama.
Ayodhya being the birthplace of Lord Rama, Rama Navami celebrations in Ayodhya are outstanding. Devotees from distant places of the country come to Ayodhya, and after taking holy dip in River Sarayu they visit Rama temple to participate in the celebrations.
It is suggested to observe Eight Prahar fasting during Rama Navami, which means devotes should observe fast from sunrise to sunrise. Three different ways of Rama Navami Vrat are recommended which are:
1) casual, to be observed without any cause;
2) continual, to be observed throughout life without any desire; and
3) desirable, which can be observed to fulfill any specific desire.