Janmashtami celebrated with fervour in Delhi

NEW DELHI - Thousands of devotees Thursday gathered at temples across the capital to pay obeisance to Lord Krishna, one of the most revered gods of Hindus, on the occasion of Janmashtami.

The main Janmashtami celebrations in the city took place at the Lakshmi Narayan temple, better known as Birla Mandir, in New Delhi, the ISKCON temple in East of Kailash, and the popular Gouri Shankar temple in Old Delhi, close to the Red Fort.

Temples were decorated with fancy lights for illumination at night as people throng the temples near midnight when Lord Krishna is believed to have been born. Devotional songs were sung in temples throughout the day.

Outside Birla Mandir, pandals were put up to offer shade to hundreds of devotees. Several stalls served fresh fruits and puri-sabzi to devotees.

Akhilesh Sharma, a 24-year-old devotee at Birla Mandir, said: “The temple opened after the Aarti (prayers) around 4:30 a.m. and I have been here since then. The muggy weather can’t discourage me from worshipping my favourite god.”

“A shobha yatra (religious procession) was taken out around Birla Mandir in which local cultural groups participated along with dandiya raas teams. A raas leela team from Vrindavan also performed at the temple,” said Ravindra Nagar, head priest of Birla Mandir.

Most of the temples across the city distributed prasad (offering) of misri (sugar crystals), makhan (butter) and fresh fruits all day long.

“I have been standing in the queue for the last 40 minutes but it doesn’t matter as once I reach inside, the divine scene would be worth all the effort,” said Braj Mohan Anand who awaited his turn patiently outside Birla Mandir.

Meanwhile, a royal feast of 1,108 dishes, including those from Chinese, Continental and Indian cuisines, was to be offered to Lord Krishna at the ISKCON temple.

“The temple was beautifully decorated and when I caught a glimpse of Krishna on such a pious day, it was absolutely blissful,” said Abhinandan Gokhale, who has been visiting the Gouri Shankar temple on Janmashtami for the last 15 years.

Elaborate security arrangements and traffic plans were in place around the big temples and markets in the capital. Door-frame metal detectors and CCTVs were installed in all the major temples. In addition, armed security personnel were deployed on guarded duty.

Colourful cultural shows were organised by various resident welfare associations around the city. Some of them had commenced a week earlier, culminating in the celebrations at midnight.

The highlights at many places, including temples, were evidently the beautiful tableaux which depicted the life of Lord Krishna — from his birth till the time he slayed his evil uncle Kansa.

“My 10-year-old daughter is captivated by these tableaux. She just wants to see them again and again,” said Rajesh Bhatia, who was standing in the queue for the second time at a local temple in Rajendra Nagar in central Delhi.

Sweets were prepared at home as an offering to Lord Krishna while some people fasted the whole day. Some bathed a small Krishna idol in milk and placed it in a tiny cradle.

Arun Modi, a resident of Patel Nagar in central Delhi, had got a gold plated idol of Lord Krishna specially made for the occasion of Janmashtami.

“I bathed it in honey, milk and gangajal before adorning it with a colourful attire and pearl crown,” he said while gently rocking the idol’s cradle.