WHAT IS KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI, AND HOW IS IT CELEBRATED IN INDIA?
KrishnaJanmashtami is the birthday celebration of Krishna, who is the eighthincarnation of the god Vishnu. This is one of the most important Hindufestivals for Hindus. According to the Hindu calendar, this occasion iscelebrated on the Ashtami of Krishna Paksha or the 8th day of the darkfortnight in the month of Bhadon which is usually in August or September.
Peoplebelieve that Krishna is one of the most powerful human incarnations of the LordVishnu. He was born around 5,200 years ago in a prison of Mathura in thecustody of Kansa. Vasudev, his father decided to hand over his child to Nand tosave Krishna from the clutch of Kansa. Kanha grew up in Gokul as the son of Nandand finally killed Kansa.
The mainobjective of Sri Krishna's birth was to make the world free from the evilnessof demons. He played a very important role in Mahabharata and taught the actualmeaning of bhakti and good karma; all his lessons are narrated deeply in theBhagwat Geeta.
CELEBRATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY
To celebratethis day, people go to temple and worship Lord Krishna. Besides, peoplecelebrate this day in different ways across the country like organizing Dahihandi competitions, Raas Leela performance and many more. Here there are someexamples:
Mathura and Vrindavan
Janmashtamiis celebrated at a grand level with an unmatched zeal in Mathura andVrindavan, as these places are very close to Lord Krishna, he was born inMathura and grew up in Vrindavan. Here, Krishna leelas and Raas leelas areorganized. People from different part of the world come here to experience thisfestival.
Gujarat
Krishna establishedhis kingdom in Dwarka so, it one of the most important festivals for the state.Here, people decorate their house, temples, sing devotional songs and preparesweetmeats to offer to God.
Maharashtra
InMaharashtra, the festival is celebrated mainly by organizing Dahi Handicompetitions. Groups of people form a human pyramid to break an earthen potfilled with curd.
Tamil Nadu
In TamilNadu, people observe fast for the whole day, decorate the floor with beautifulpatterns made of rice batter.
Andhra Pradesh
In AndhraPradesh, young people dress up as Krishna, and devotees sing devotional songsand chant mantras. Besides, people make sweet dishes like seedai, sweet seedaito mark the celebration.
SRI KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI DATE AND MUHURAT 2019
| 24th August Nishita Puja Time– 00:01 to 00:45 Parana Time– 05:59 (24th August) after sunrise Rohini Nakshatra End Time- before sunrise Ashtami Tithi Begins – 08:08 (23rd August) Ashtami Tithi Ends – 08:31 (24th August) |
May theblessings of Lord Krishna always be with you and your family. Wishing you all avery Happy Janmashtami!
