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;

The 'Thrissur Pooram' this May.

The ‘Pooram Nakshatram’ day in ‘Medam’ – Malayalam month, which coincides with months of April and May, is the most auspicious day and the most awaited day in Thrissur (also known as Trichur) as Thrissur witnesses the biggest Hindu festival of Kerala which lasts for almost 48 hours nonstop – the event commencing at 7am on the 1st day.

The whole city of Thrissur is decorated with flowers and blinking serial lights from the day before the ‘Thrissur Pooram’ and everyone seems to be gearing up for the festival as they are involved directly or indirectly in the celebrations. The ‘Thrissur Pooram Paraphernalia’ comprising the gold ornaments of the Elephants is displayed for public CMS School Compound. This is the closest you get to these ornaments to appreciate them as it is hardly possible on the Pooram day.

Temples in Thrissur are to be specially visited on these 2 days of the festivals as they are decked up like never before. They make an amazing sight.

But the highpoints of the ‘Thrissur Pooram’ – who are called the show-stoppers who steal the limelight and for whom the whole city of Thrissur along with people from other parts of Kerala and India as well as some foreigners and of course countless media persons assemble along their walkway are the regal Elephants! About 100 Elephants are decked up in gold ornaments and paraded through the city of Thrissur royally to the incessant and rhythmic drumming and fireworks. Countless percussion instruments follow the Elephants throughout the parade. 300 music performers perform the ‘Melam’ for 2 continuous hours during the day which will just transport you to a different world.

This Elephant parade is like no other in the whole world and this is the closest you could get to so many Elephants all at once. The mere sight of them bunched together – posing for a million clicking cameras from all directions will give you goosebumps as you get all stirred up emotionally.

On Thrissur Pooram, Thrissur city does not sleep. All Elephants are made to walk a set route in the city which ends up at the Vadakkunnathan Temple – an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Thrissur Pooram festival has been celebrated since 1798 and was started by Raja Rama Varma – also known as Sakthan Thampuran – the ruler of Cochin. With the launch of the Thrissur Pooram festival and a host of other Hindu festivals here, Thrissur became the culture-capital of Kerala. It was Maharaja Sakthan Thampuran who unified a dozen temples which were situated around the Vadakkunnathan Temple and organized a joint celebration of all these temples which became a mass festival and involved the whole city and ten other towns.

On the night of the first day of the Thrissur Pooram, the city of Thrissur dazzles with millions of multi-coloured lights which run over all the streets of the city and the skyscape will have no space to breathe with scores of fireworks lighting up the skies. No wonder then that of all the festivals in south India, Thrissur Pooram is known to be the most thunderous and the most spectacular festival ever with several lakhs attending.