munna2009 (Super-Mod! + Sravanthi Love): Surya - The Sun was recognised as the source of light and heat even in ancient times. The importance of the Sun was much more in the higher latitudes from where the Aryans are supposed to have migrated into India. Many royal dynasties potrayed symbols of virility like the Sun, Eagle, Lion etc. as their progenitor. Rama's dynasty considered themselves to have descended from the Sun. This could have led to the tagging on, of Rama's birthday to a festival devoted to the sun. *09-04-11 - 04:58:35
munna2009 (Super-Mod! + Sravanthi Love): On the face of it Sri-Ramnavmi appears to be just a festival commemorating the reign of a king who was later deified. But even behind present-day traditions there are clues which unmistakably point to the origin of Ramnavmi as lying beyond the Ramayana story. *09-04-11 - 04:58:50
munna2009 (Super-Mod! + Sravanthi Love): Sri Ramnavami occurs at the beginning of summer when the sun has started moving nearer to the northern hemisphere. The Sun is considered to be the progenitor of Rama's dynasty which is called the Sun dynasty (Raghukula 0r Raghuvamsa, Raghu means Sun and Kula 0r Vamsa mean familial descendant). Rama is also known as Raghunatha, Raghupati, Raghavendra etc. That all these names begin with the prefix Raghu is also suggestive of some link with Sun-worship. *09-04-11 - 04:59:04
munna2009 (Super-Mod! + Sravanthi Love): The hour chosen for the observance of the lord's birth is that when the sun is overhead and is at its maximum brilliance. In some Hindu sects, prayers on Ramnavami day start not with an invocation to Rama but to Surya (sun). Again the syllable Ra is used in the word to describe the sun and brilliance in many languages. In Sanskrit, Ravi and Ravindra mean Sun. *09-04-11 - 04:59:16
munna2009 (Super-Mod! + Sravanthi Love): Significantly, the ancient Egyptians termed the sun as Amon Ra 0r simply as "Ra". In Latin the syllable Ra is used to connote light. For example, we have Radiance which emission of light, 0r Radium which means any substance emitting light 0r brilliance. The common element is the syllable Ra which in many languages is used to derive words for describing Sun 0r light. *09-04-11 - 04:59:34