Braj decked up for Janmashtami

Preparations for Wednesday’s Krishna Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, have reached a crescendo in the whole of Braj region of Uttar Pradesh, with temples all decked up and devotees thronging the area for a glimpse of the deities.

People from all parts of India have thronged the Yamuna ghats, despite heightened security. Braj comprises Mathura, Agra, Bharatpur and Hathras districts.
The main focus of the 5,239th birthday of Krishna will be at Mathura’s Sri Krishna Janambhoomi.

Krishna, one of the 24 avatars of Hindu god Vishnu, is worshipped by millions of devouts the world over. “For Vaishnavs, Janmashtami is the most important festival.

Special pakwans (dishes), laddoos, dry fruits, panjeeri, panchamrit are being prepared. Most people fast and eat only after the midnight birth of Krishna,” said Pandit Madhukar Chaturvedi.

Heavily surrounded by security personnel, the Janambhoomi campus in Mathura itself looks like the demon Kansa’s jail, where Krishna was born. The whole campus has been lit up and decorated with flowers.

The Yamuna river ghats in Mathura are filled to the brim by a flood of pilgrims. The hot and sultry weather may affect the festival though. Special raslila programmes are being daily enacted by artistes under the guidance of Swami Sri Ram Sharma Nimai.

“This year, there will be special spraying of herbal scents in the sanctum sanctorum. A number of generators will provide power backup in case of a breakdown. Devotees will be provided cool water and prasad,” said Kapil Sharma, secretary of Sri Krishna Janm Sthan Sewa Sansthan.

Gopal Das, president of the Sansthan Nritya, will perform the main 1,008 pushp shringar aarti (special floral ritual) around midnight.

Faced with an acute demand for flowers, some temples like the Janambhoomi’s Keshav Dev temple have made arrangements for supplies from Kolkata and Bangalore.
Both in Vrindavan and Mathura, a whole lot of kirtans, satsangs and raslilas have been planned, with famous seers lined up to create a truly divine ambience.