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Hindu Ashrams/Organizations
Janmashtami Festival
Lord Krishna's birth anniversary is the festival of Janmashtami. The temples of Vrindavan, where He was born, witness an extravagant and colourful celebration. On this occasion. Raslila is performed to recreate incidents from the life of Krishna and to commemorate his love for Radha. The idol of the infant Krishna is bathed at midnight and is placed in a cradle. Devotional songs and dances mark the celebration of this festive occasion all over Northern India. Choose the links below to learn more and celebrate this festival
Janmashtami is celebrated in various parts of India to
mark the birth of Lord Krishna. It is observed on the Ashtami day of the
Shravan month according to the Hindu calendar. The temples of Vrindavan
witness an extravagant and colourful celebration on this occasion. Raslila
is performed to recreate incidents from the life of Krishna and to
commemorate his love for Radha.
Lord Vishnu is invoked in his human incarnation as Krishna on his birth
anniversary in the festival of Janmashtami. The idol of the infant Krishna
is bathed at midnight and is placed in a cradle. Devotional songs and dances
mark the celebration of this festive occasion all over Northern India.
On this day, in some parts of India, especially Maharashtra, youths
celebrate it by breaking clay pots called 'Dahi-Handi', filled with curd and
butter suspended high above the ground, young men and children form human
pyramid to reach the pot and break it. This custom follows the habit of Lord
Krishna who used to steal butter in this manner from villagers along with
his friends. The reason for this is that Gokul; the place where lord Krishna
spent his childhood used to generate a lot of milk and the people used to
sell it in Mathura, thus depriving their children from milk and butter which
is very essential for young boys and girls.
In Maharashtra, Janmashtami witnesses the exuberant enactment of the god's
childhood endeavors to steal butter and curd from earthen pots beyond his
reach.
Celebrating of Janmasthami
Krishna is the emblem of platonic love. Lovers down
the age are signified with the divine love of Radha and Krishna. But,
Janmasthami is not the day for lovers. The day is remembered for our
interesting mythological incident. Lord Krishna?s birthday was celebrated
all over the city with pomp and devotion.
International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), organised a ?bhajan?
sabha for the devotees. Men and women were dressed in saffron, danced with
the rhythm of ?Hare Rama Hare Krishna." The idol of Sri Krishna and Radha
were decorated with brand new clothes and sparkling jewelleries.
In front of the main ditty, a small ? jhola? (swing) was decorated with
flowers on which a small udol of ?Nadoo Gopal? was seated. Toddler Krishna
is also known as Gopal which is one of his centre Octavian names.
The largest and costliest temple in Kolkata of Sri Krishan is Birla Mandir.
In the evening we saw a huge serpent queue in front of the temple. People of
all ages had gathered to offer their respect to their beloved lord. The
deity was dressed with a gorgeous dhoti and kurta, specially designed for
the occasion.
The work of ?Zari? embedded with shiny stones added glamour to the white
marble idol. Radha who stands beside Krishna was looking equally charming in
all new attires. The fragrance of ?Jasmine? would mesmerise the heart of
every visitor and the sandalwood ?agarbati? gave it a divine touch.
Innumerable devotees gathered in front of Shyamsunder Tala Mandir,
Dakshineswar Mandir and many other places. It is to be said that Lord
Krishna was born in midnight. The following day to Lord?s birthday is
popularly known as Nando Utsav. People serve prasads to the special items
for Janmasthami. Homemade butter and ?Kheer? are also served as a special ?bhog?
to the Lord.