Mathura/Lucknow/Gorakhpur (UP), Sep 5 (PTI) The sound of drums, hand cymbals and mridangam, along with the chants of ‘Hari Bol’ filled the air with devotional fervour as devotees danced to celebrate Janmashtami at Sri Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura in the early hours of Saturday.
Janmashtami marks the birth of Lord Krishna, who is revered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The celebrations took place late Friday night, followed by a ‘maha aarti’, which was performed till 12.10 am on Saturday, Kapil Sharma, secretary of Sri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Samiti, said.
A movable idol of Sri Krishna, anointed with saffron and other fragrant substances, seated in a silver winnowing basket (rajat soop), was brought to the consecration site.
An ‘abhishek’ (holy ritual bath) was first performed with the udder of a Kamdhenu cow. The cow is made of silver, with golden polish and pictures of 33 supreme deities. This was followed by the ‘Maha Abhishek’ with milk, curd, honey, ghee and powdered sugar.
Gifts and prasad from Sri Ram Janmabhumi and Sri Kashi Vishwanath temple were also offered to the idol.
The idol was adorned with a Panchratni attire, embroidered with five “precious gems” from the mythological Samudra Manthan (churning of the sea) event — Kamdhenu cow, Panchjanya conch, Amrit Kalash, Airawat elephant and Kalpvriksha — Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi, member of Sri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Samiti, said, adding that a jewelled crown, flute and a necklace with nine precious stones were also part of the deity’s ensemble.
The temple administration had also invited pallet drum and mridangam artistes from Ujjain for this celebration, Chaturvedi added.
Janmasthami was celebrated at various temples in the state capital Lucknow as well, while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was present on the occasion at the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur on Friday night.
At midnight, he performed the traditional Krishna Janmotsav rituals inside the temple. Amid devotional hymns and celebratory songs, he carried the idol of Laddu Gopal from the sanctum sanctorum, placed it in a flower-decked cradle and ceremonially rocked it before performing the aarti.
The celebrations also featured a Krishna-Radha fancy dress competition for children. Adityanath interacted with the participants, distributed gifts, chocolates and certificates, and spent time with children, officials said. PTI COR NAV GRS PRK
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