Janmashtami is celebrated all over India with devotional songs and dances, pujas, arti, blowing of the Conch and rocking the cradle of baby Krishna. On this day temples and homes are wonderfully decorated and illuminated. Night long prayers are offered and religious mantras are sung in the temples. Where Vaishnava temples exist, festivities begin before dawn and extend all day until midnight, the exact moment of the anniversary of Krishna's appearance.
Janmashtami is one such festival that is celebrated equally in North and South India. Preparations for the same start weeks in advance. Different parts of the country celebrate the festival differently.
Song and dance mark the celebration of this festive occasion all over northern India. Krishna's birthplace Mathura and Vrindavan celebrate this occasion with great pomp and show. Raslilas or religious plays are performed. The town of Dwarka in Gujarat, Krishna's own land, comes alive with major celebrations as hordes of visitors flock to the town.
The celebration of Janmashtami is at its peak in the city of Mathura-birth place of Lord Krishna. The city is about 145 kms from Delhi. The city of Mathura adorns a complete festive look and the devotional mood reaches its pinnacle.The main celebration takes place at the actual place of birth, now converted into a big temple known as Krishna Janma Bhoomi Mandir. Lord's idol is kept in a room also known as the 'Garbha Griha'.
Vrindavan is quite a famous place for pilgrimage in North India. Just about 15 kms from Mathura, it houses nearly 5000 temples both ancient as well as modern. The holy town of Vrindavan is where Lord Krishna spent his formative years. During Janmashtami, the entire city gets immersed in the spirit of devotion. Euphoric celebrations among the devotees is a common sight. The sound of bhajans and chanting echos in the city.
Dwarka, meaning 'Door to Moksha (Salvation)' is a popular city of Gujarat. It was established by Lord Krishna with his elder brother Balram. The celebration of Janmashtami in the main Dwarkadhish temple is very famous in India. Devotees from all over India throng the city of Dwarka during Janamashtami. The celebration on Janmashtami follows the daily routine or 'Nitya Kram' of Lord Krishna. Rituals are performed by Aboti brahmins, who are special brahmins performing these rituals for the past many centuries now.
In South India, the celebrations are most prevalent in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In both the places, the idol of Lord Krishna is placed in a decorated mantapa. Bhakshanam (snacks and sweets in Sanskrit), are specially prepared for the festival, and offered to Lord Krishna. Along with it, fruits that are his favorites are also offered. In some parts of Karnataka, chakli, avalakki and bellada panaka are prepared especially for the festival.
In the eastern states such as Orissa and West Bengal, people celebrate it with fasting and doing puja at midnight. Though the rituals practiced vary from one region to the other, the spirit and devotion to the Lord is same everywhere. Thus, it wouldn't be wrong to say that Krishna is the most loved and celebrated God in India.
In the south western state of Maharashtra, people enact the god's childhood attempts to steal butter and curd from earthen pots beyond his reach. A similar pot is suspended high above the ground and groups of young people form humans pyramids to try and reach the pot and break it.
Various ceremonies on Krishna Janmastami
An important feature of Janmashtami is Jhanki (tableau) and cribs depicting various stages of Lord Krishna's childhood. Jhanki means peeping in the past life, in relation with Janmashtami it means peeping into the life of Lord Krishna. 'Jhankis' are miniature representation of a village made of clay, humans are represented by dolls dressed up as kids, men and women with lehangas, chunnis, dhotis and kurtas.
Five commonly depicted scenes in jhankis are presented in a sequence:
Birth of Lord Krishna Tableau
Vasudev carrying Baby Krishna across river Yamuna Tableau
Exchange of Lord Krishna with the baby girl Tableau
King Kansa killing the Baby girl Tableau
Baby Krishna in a cradle in Gokul Tableau
Killing of King Kansa
Killing of Kaliya Serpent Tableau
Lifting of Govardhan Hill Tableau
With the change in times and great technological advancement, jhankis have also adorned a new look. Jhankis are made on large scale in big towns and cities with lot of special effects.
One of the most important aspects of the festival Janmashtami is Rasleela. Rasleela is a divine sport (Kreeda), which Sri krishna played with his gopis on the banks of river Yamuna in Vrindavan. Radha was the most important gopi and closest to the Lord. Her love for Lord Krishna was complete and in its purest form. Sri Krishna was ten years old when he performed Rasleela. Rasleelas are particularly performed in the city of Vrindavan.
The main theme of rasleela revolves around the formative years of Lord Krishna. There are five main raslilas performed like janamleela - details regarding the birth of Lord Krishna, Shankarleela, Putanaleela - Killing of demoness Putana, And Nagleela - killing of the dreaded serpent Kaliya. They are performed by professional troupes with utmost devotion and love. The troupe captivates the audience with their performance. Rasleelas are usually performed in the local language. At the end of the performance, devotees throng to touch the feet of the young boy dressed as Lord Krishna.
Rasleelas are performed by various renowned theater groups, plays are stages with celebrities playing the lead roles to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna.
The most popular ceremony of Dahi-handi (breaking a pot full of milk and its derivatives) takes place on the second day, celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and glee. Dahi Handi is an enactment of Lord Krishna's efforts to steal butter from Matka (earthen pot) suspended from the ceiling.
During this ceremony a large earthenware pot is filled with milk, curds, butter, honey fruits etc. and is suspended from a height between 20 to 40 feet. Sporting young men and boys come forward to claim this prize. To do so they construct a human pyramid by standing over each other's shoulders till the pyramid is tall enough to enable the topmost person to reach the pot and claim the contents after breaking it. Normally, currency notes are tied to the rope by which the pot is suspended. This prize money is distributed among those who participate in the pyramid building.
This ceremony replicates Krishna's love for milk and butter. In his childhood, the Lord Krishna along with his mates used to raid the houses of his neighbors in search of milk and butter.
Dahi Handi is celebrated with fervor, especially in the twin cities of Mathura - Vrindavan, Dwarka and Mumbai. Young men in Mumbai yell 'Ala re ala, Govinda ala' during the ceremony.
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