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Janmashtami
 Celebrated In
: Uttar Pradesh
In The Month Of
: August
Commemorates
: The Birth Of Lord Krishna
The birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated with great fervour all over the country. In
Mathura and Vrindavan - where Lord Krishna spent his childhood and youth, the
Janmashtami celebrations are quite elaborate.
The Krishna Leela stories of his eventful youth are enacted. In Maharashtra, earthen pots of curd and butter are hung up over the streets. Young men enacting an episode from Krishna's childhood form human pyramids by climbing on each other's shoulders and try to break these up.
The "jhankis" include the birth of Krishna in jail, Vasudev carrying Krishna to security across the river Yamuna amidst boom and lightening,
Vasudev's return to the jail, Kansa killing Yashoda's daughter and finally the little Krishna in the cradle in
Gokul. "Jhankis" are created out of dolls dressed up as kids, men and women with lehanges, chunnis, dhotis & kurtas. Raslila of different types is also performed - Janmalila, Shankarlila,
Putnalila and Naglila. In the evening, bhajans are sung, which end at midnight, the auspicious moment when lord Krishna was born.
Thereafter, arti is done, prasad distributed and flowers showered on the idol. The people of
Mathura celebrate Janmashtami with great eagerness. Mathura is the birthplace of lord Krishna, where his parents lived in captivity of the evil Kansa and he, as a young boy, came and vanquished his maternal uncle Kansa, to ascend the throne and free his parents.
The main celebrations are perform at the Dwarkadhish temple, Mathura in the form of 'Jhulanotsava' and the 'Ghatas' during the entire month of Shravan. The 'ghatas' are unique feature of the month- long celebrations. During the 'ghata' of a particular color, the whole temple is covered with decoration in the same color.
Even the lord dresses up in the same colour. The twin cities of Mathura-Vrindavan wear a festive look and spirit of devotion runs high among the people. It was on the banks of the river
Yamuna where lord Krishna played during his childhood and indulged in pranks and tricks with his friends and the gopis. There are about 400 temples dedicated to Lord Krishna in this sacred city and the major festivities are held at the Banke Bihari, Rangaji,
Shri Krishna Balram temple and Gopinath temple. The Raslila of Braj is thematically the basis of many performing arts.
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