Krishna Janmashtami

God-child; prankster; quintessential lover; divine hero; and the Supreme Being – all rolled into one – Lord Krishna -  whose birthday is celebrated on ‘Janmashtami’ - which is also known as ‘Gokulashtami’. His flute, blue-ish skin; peacock-feather crown and yellow coloured dhoti makes Lord Krishna stand apart from all other Hindu Gods.

Spanning two days – the commemoration of Lord Krishna’s birth comprises fasting on the first day; partaking in his worship at Temples till midnight when Lord Krishna is said to have been born; lots of fun and frolic at the Janmashtami festivities during the second day when the Hindu communities all over the world perform dances depicting the various events in Lord Krishna's life and the much awaited ‘Dahi Handi’ festivities.

The High-point of the Janmashtami is the ‘Dahi Handi’ – where clay pot filled with ‘dahi’ (curd) and money are strung up 30-60 feet high in the air in an open-air street or grounds and young boys form human pyramids to reach the height of the pots to smash them open. This sport is performed in remembrance of Lord Krishna’s fondness for butter and curd. Forming human pyramids is not as easy as it appears as these pyramids have 3-6 layers and they require sturdiness and strength from each and every player else the whole pyramid comes crashing down and they would have to regroup again. Most times it takes multiple attempts before they get it right.

The dual-essence of Janmashtami can be best experience at:

·         Mathura – the birthplace of Lord Krishna which is in the present Uttar Pradesh State – on the Delhi-Agra Highway. Mathura is also referred to as ‘Braj-Bhoomi’; ‘Shri Krishna Janma-Bhoomi’ and ‘Madhuvan’. Mathura is where the ‘Kesava Deo Temple’ is – which was built over the prison which was believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna is said to have been born by divine mental transmission from Vasudeva to Devaki. The current ‘Kesava Deo Temple’ was built by the medieval Rajput King - Raja Vir Sinh Bundela of Orchaa, during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. The original temple is believed to be built about 5000 years ago Vajranabha, the great-grandson of Lord Krishna. According to the sankrit epic of ancient India – Mahabharata, Mathura was the capital of the Surasena Kingdom which was ruled by King Kansa – the maternal uncle of Lord Krishna. The entire present area of Braj-Bhoomi can be divided into 2 distinct units: the Eastern Part in the Trans-Yamuna zone with places like Gokul, Mahavan, Baldeo, Mat and Bajna and the Western Side of the Yamuna covering the Mathura region that encompasses Vrindavan, Govardhan, Kusum Sarovar, Barsana and Nandgaon.

Govardhan Temple - Braj-Bhoomi.

·         Vrindavan (also known as Vraj) - currently a town but is a site of ancient forests – located about 10 kms from Mathura. Lord Krishna’s playful and loving characteristics and his childhood pastimes are attributed to his life here at Vrindavan. Said to be the most romanntic of all Hindu Gods, Lord Krishna along with his beloved Radha spent all their time in merriment, song and dance on the celestial banks of River Yamuna along with the other Gopis - all of which is called the 'Raas Leela'. It is also said that at Vrindavan, Lord Krishna along with his brother Balaram and his cowherd friends stole butter, pulled pranks and fought with demons. Today, Vrindavan is known for its hundreds of temples – mostly dedicated to Lord Krishna.

Govind Dev Temple in Vrindavan.

Lord Krishna with Radha.

Lord Krishna's Raas Leela.

·         Govardhan – about 15 kms from Mathura is another Holy site of Hindu pilgrimage as it is said that Govardhan houses the ‘Govardhan Hill’ which Lord Krishna used to uphold on his little finger in order to save the Hill from the wrath of the Hindu God of rains – Indra. Govardhan is home to numerous Lord Krishna Temples, the ‘Manasi Ganga’ Lake and the river-ghats. Parikrama and Guru Purnima is what Govardhan is famous for apart from Janmashtami. Hindu pilgrim visit Govardhan during Janmashtami as well as Guru Purnima.

·         Mumbai (previously called Bombay) – where celebrations of epic proportions gyrate to a feverish pitch – like nowhere else in the whole world. Here you get to see the most extravagant and fun-filled festivities of Krishnashtami.

 

·        ISKCON – ‘the International Society for Krishna Consciousness’ is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization which was founded in the New York City in 1966 by His Divine Grace Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Beliefs preached here are based on Srimad Bhagvatam and Bhagavad-Gita – traditional ancient Hindu scriptures. ISKCON today has more than 400 centres worldwide.

On Janmashtami, temples in Mathura install baby cradles with small statues of Lord Krishna (called Baal Mukund) in them and offer prayers, bhajans and recite Lord Krishna deeds. Elaborate rituals are performed on both days of Janmashtami in Mathura. Krishna devotees throng in millions to Mathura for pilgrimage on Janmashtami.

And those who cannot make it to Mathura visit their local Lord Krishna Temples or the ISKCON Temple which is known for spirited worship.

And Ofcourse, Bombay needs no introduction. If you want a mix of both spiritualism and fun on Janmashtami, then it’s Bombay you need to visit this Janmashtami.

Kathakali dancer performing as Lord Krishna.

 Pix Courtsey: Hoparoundindia.com; wallpapers.yah.in; flickrhivemind; topnews; hindustantimes; bombaystreets;

Ganga Dassehra on Ganga Ghats.

Celebrating the reincarnation of River Ganga on Earth is Ganga Dassehra which is celebrated on the first 10 days of the ‘Jyeshtha’ month which falls in the months of May-June. According to Hindu Mythology, Goddess Ganga descending on earth is a festival that is observed as ‘Ganga Dassehra’, ‘Ganga Saptami’ and ‘Akshaya Tritiya’ in different parts of India.

Upon performing intense austerities by King Bhagirath, Goddess Ganga descended onto earth in the form of River Ganga in order to relieve the sins of King Bhagirath’s family. Since then it is a strong belief among Hindus that in order to cleanse oneself of his sins he would have to take a Holy-dip in River Ganga each year especially on Ganga Dassehra.

During these 10 days, River Ganga is venerated by the Hindus as Goddess Ganga through numerous pujas, prayers, rituals and ceremonies. The ‘Aarti of River Ganga’ performed by the Haridwar Priests at twilight while standing on the steps of the Ganga Ghats – few inches away from the ever-flowing humungous river Ganga – is a fascinating sight which is captured by millions of cameras on those days. Lord Shiva is worshipped with special emphasis on these 10 days. On all these 10 days, River Ganga is offered sweets and flowers and small flames in leaf-boats are set afloat on the fast-flowing river with ringing of bells and chanting of ‘shlokas’, ‘kirtans’ and ‘bhajans’. It’s one of the most amazing devotional experiences ever!

Places which are located along the banks of River Ganga such as Rishikesh, Haridwar, Varanasi, Garh-Mukteswar, Prayag, Kanpur etc. are thronged by millions of Hindus and devotees of River Ganga to pay respects to the River as well as to take a Holy Dip in the River and perform puja on all 10 days.

On the days of Ganga Dassehra, it is believed to be a blessing and rewarding to give alms to the needy so all the Hindus who participate in the festival at the River Ganga at various places also do charity.

Facts about the Gigantic River Ganga:

1.    River Ganga originates in the Himalayas in Indian State of Uttarakhand at the confluence of River Bhagirathi and River Alaknanda and flows through India and Bangladesh. Gangotri Glacier is the point of origin of River Ganga. In Bangladesh, River Ganga is called River Padma.

2.    River Ganga is 2525 kms long from the Himalayas right upto the Bay of Bengal where it drains into the sea.

3.    Based on the ‘Volume-Rate’ of the water flow (discharge), River Gangs ranks among the Top 20 rivers in the world.

4.    400 million people inhabit the Ganga River basin (along its route) which makes it the highest populated river basin in the world.

5.    The first mention of River Ganga was in the Late Harappan period in the 2^nd Millennium BC. The first official mention of River Ganga was made in the ancient Hindu scriptures – the Vedas dating back to 1500 BC. The first foreigner to have recorded River Ganga is the Greek Ethnographer – Megasthenes (in his book called ‘Indica’) who visited India during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya before 298 BC.

6.    According to Hindu Mythology, Goddess Ganga, who is a consort to all three Hindu deities – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva descends to earth in the reincarnation of River Ganga in order to purify and cleanse of sins of all those who take a Holy Dip in this river. Hindu river-pilgrimage and river-worship began with worshipping River Ganga in India. The ‘Maha Kumbh Mela’ is probably the biggest gathering of people in the world as in 2001 approximately 60 million people (of which 1 million people from outside of India) had gathered at Allahabad to worship River Ganga!

Pix courtesy: Wikipedia, Zeenews, Haridwarkumbhmela, Shunya, Geolt12.wordpress, Goldntriangleindiatours.