 Whenever evil forces reign supreme, the Lord comes to the rescue of the people and sets things right. Accordingly Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the Universe (according to the Hindu mythology) has taken 9 "Avatars" or incarnations to eradicate the evil forces and establish goodness and prosperity. Of these incarnations, the seventh is the Sri Rama Avatar.
Sri Rama Navami marks the birth of Lord Rama. From Ugadi for the next 9 days, we celebrate the Vasantha Navarathri. It concludes with Sri Rama Navami. It is celebrated on the day when "Navami" (9th day after the new/full moon day) and the star "Punarvasu" occur together in the Tamil month of "Chitirai". (Sometimes it falls in the month of "Panguni"). This year it is celebrated on 11th of April.
The Hindu tradition has a lot of meaningful practices. The Tamil months Panguni and Chitirai (April & May) are the hottest months of the year in this part of the world. Hence the "Prasadams" offered to God are directly related to the weather conditions.
For Sri Rama Navami, the "Prasadams" offered are Panakam, Neer Mor (Diluted Buttermilk), Vadai Paruppu and Panchaamirutham. These items are also prepared at the temples and distributed as prasadams to the devotees who come to seek the blessings of the lord. The above mentioned foodstuffs can be taken to bring down the heat in the body. They also make up for the loss of body fluids due to the excessive perspiration.
 Panakam
Ingredients (To serve 4 persons)
Jaggery (Powdered) - 1 Cup
Water - 3 Cups
Lemon - 2 Nos.
Dried ginger (Powdered) - 1 ½ Tsp.
Cardamom (Crushed) - 2 Nos.
Pepper & Salt (Crushed) - ½ Tsp.
Procedure:
Mix the jaggery in water and dissolve it well. Filter the ingredients in a cloth. Add lemon juice, dried ginger powder, cardamom, pepper and salt. Mix this well and serve chilled. This can be served as a welcome drink to quench the thirst and cool the system too.
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