Lord Krishna's birthplace decked up for Janmashtami celebrations

Mathura (UP): Preparations for the grand celebration of Janmashtami on Monday in Lord Krishna’s birthplace Mathura and Vrindavan, where he spent most of his childhood, are in full swing as temples have been decorated and arrangements made for devotees. Janmashtami will be celebrated in Mathura and Vrindavan for two days — August 26 and 27, officials had said earlier.

“Amidst chanting of vedic hymns and playing of shankh (conch shell) and drums, a procession of priests donning the attire of Radha-Krishna and other deities will be taken out on Monday,” Kapil Sharma, secretary of Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan said.

These attires will be kept in different temples and will be used on Monday morning, he said.

“Finishing touches are being given to garbhagriha temple’ (sanctum sanctorum), which is being converted as the ‘jail of Kansa’,” Sharma said adding that it an attempt to showcase conditions that prevailed in ‘Dwapar yuga’ during the birth of Lord Krishna.

While giving necessary guidelines to officials on Sunday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath noted that in the past, the use of loudspeakers during processions, particularly when they pass by religious sites of other communities, has led to controversies. He instructed them to make necessary arrangements to avoid any untoward incident, or conflict and deal with the situation sensitively, according to the press statement released. Earlier, Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan announced that the Krishna Janmasthan temple, which is usually open for 12 hours, will remain open for 20 hours on August 26, allowing uninterrupted darshan to the devotees.

Celebrations at the temple will begin at 5.30 am with a ‘mangla aarti’ and ‘panchamrit abhishek’ and ‘pushpanjali’ of the deity, the officials of the Sansthan had said.

A midnight ‘maha abhishek’ ceremony, led by Sant Nratya Gopal Das, will commence at 11 pm and continue until 12.40 am, concluding with ‘shayan aarti’ at 2 am. The day will also feature two major processions and a spiritual Shobha Yatra, covering major city markets, they said.

CEO of UP Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad, Mathura, SB Singh said, “A procession of renowned artists from parts of the country started from the ‘janmasthan’ today.” “It passed through different parts of Mathura and finally ended in the area where they will present cultural programmes after the inauguration of a three-day festival by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and others later in the evening,” he said.

Meanwhile in Vrindavan, Agra Divisional Commissioner Ritu Maheshwari had recently announced that only 1,000 devotees will be permitted to attend the ‘mangal aarti’ at the Thakur Banke Bihari Temple on Janmashtami night to prevent any accident due to overcrowding. She had said that the restriction is being maintained for the second consecutive year to ensure the safety of the devotees.

The Allahabad High Court on August 16 directed that the prayers at Vrindavan’s Banke Bihari Temple be live-streamed during the Janmashtami celebrations in consultation with the civil judge, Mathura.

Municipal Commissioner Shashank Chaudhary said that 22 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) have been formed to maintain cleanliness, with 14 teams deployed in Mathura and eight in Vrindavan.

“These teams will ensure that the routes used by devotees remain clean and there is no pile-up of garbage. Bhandaras (community feasts) will be allowed only under strict conditions to prevent littering,” he said.

Srikrishna Janmasthan area, including a cluster of temples, which were illuminated with colourful lights was a source of attraction for an influx of pilgrims watching Raas Lila or paying their obeisance at the temples.

In Mathura, not only temples but major crossings are illuminated with colourful lights. As soon as pilgrims enter the holy city, they will feel the festivity of Janmashtami, Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi, a trustee of Srikrishna Janmasthan said.