Krishna Janmashtami!

Today is another Hindu Celebration : Krishna Janmashtami ! It is the annual commemoration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. Hindus celebrate Janmashtami by fasting and staying up until midnight, the time when Krishna is believed to have been born. Images of Krishna’s infancy are placed in swings and cradles in temples and homes. At midnight, devotees gather around for devotional songs, dance and exchange gifts. Some temples also conduct reading of the Hindu religious scripture Bhagavad Gita. Men, women and children of all ages thronged the temples decorated with banana leaves, flowers and colourful fancy lights.

Where to celebrate it in Delhi?

The hub of celebrations remained popular temples like Birla Mandir in Central Delhi and Iskcon in South Delhi or Gouri Shankar temple in Old Delhi. Outside the temples, stalls serving fresh fruit and other food items have been set up for the devotees. “Shobha yatras” (religious procession) and cultural programmes have been planned later in the day. Lit up in fancy lights, an elaborate tableaux depicting the birth of Lord Krishna is on display. Children dressed up as Lord Krishna, with flutes in hand and a peacock feather stuck on their headbands, has been a sight that warms the cockles of the heart.

Who is Krishna?

Krishna is usually regarded as the eight incarnation of lord and was born in the Dvarpara Yuga as the “dark one”. Lord Krishna is the embodiment of love and divine joy, that destroys all pain and sin. He is the protector of sacred utterances and cows. Krishna is an instigator of all forms of knowledge and born to establish the religion of love.