One of the most colourful festivals in the Hindu calendar, Janmashtami is all about the birth of Lord Krishna, Vishnu’s eighth avatar. Celebrated with high devotion and joy all across the globe, Janmashtami symbolizes an enthusiastic moment for spiritual reflection, cultural immersion, and delectable feasting.
- The Enchanting Story Behind Janmashtami
- Preparations for Janmashtami
- Key Rituals of Festive
- Janmashtami Recipes to Delight Your Taste Buds
- Janmashtami across India
- Janmashtami in East India: A Spiritual Experience
- Janmashtami in Northeast India: Regional Flair
- Western India-Janmashtami and the Festive Spirit
The Enchanting Story Behind Janmashtami
The legend of Janmashtami is linked to the birth of Lord Krishna, who is supposed to have ended King Kansa’s tyrannical acts. Now, Krishna’s mother happened to be Kansa’s sister, but a divine voice had forewarned Kansa that Devaki’s eighth child would kill him. So Kansa arrested Devaki and her husband, Vasudeva, trying to avoid this fate. Miraculously, Krishna was born in prison despite Kansa’s relentless attempts to kill every newborn child.
It was Vasudeva who smuggled the baby Krishna out of prison and handed him over to the childless couple, Yashoda and Nanda, living in Gokul. In that place, Krishna spent his childhood with foster parents, nursed by the gopis, or milkmaids, and his childhood companion Radha. He spent most of his childhood in playing pranks and indulging in divine interventions that left such an indelible mark on the hearts of Vrindavan’s people.
Preparations for Janmashtami
The preparation and eagerness for Janmashtami start days ahead. Colorful rangoli of the footprints of baby Krishna adorn homes. A special puja altar is prepared, adorned with intricate mandalas, colorful flowers and pictures of deities like Krishna, Radha and Lakshmi.
The air is filled with the aroma of delicious dishes that the devotees prepare on this auspicious day of Janmashtami. Panjiri, a sweet prepared from wheat flour, ghee, and sugar, is the main offering on this day. Other desserts that are part of ‘bhog’ on this day are Shrikhand, a frozen sweet dish made with curd and other ingredients, and several other tasty sweets such as ladoos and pedas.
Key Rituals of Festive
The celebrations reach their full swing at midnight, when Lord Krishna is said to have born. A whole-night vigil is spent by devotees who chant hymns and sing bhajans of praise to the Lord. The puja ritual consists of prayer, lighting the lamp, and aarti by obeisance.
Fasting is widely undertaken on Janmashtami, while some keep a total fast, others avoid certain items of food.
Dahi Handi
The joyous festival of Janmashtami also comprises the thrilling ritual of Dahi Handi in the whole of India. Earthen pots filled with curd, butter, honey, and fruits are hung high above the ground. Youthful boys form human pyramids to reach and break the pots, which recreate Lord Krishna’s playful raids on the pots of butter during his childhood.
Janmashtami with Zeal
The festival is a vibrant affair with multi-coloured cultural programs, music, and dance performances. The dramas that were enacted in Krishna’s life are passionately performed, and they are called Krishna Leelas.
Children come out in colourful dresses and decorate themselves with peacock feathers on their heads to imitate Lord Krishna.
Janmashtami Recipes to Delight Your Taste Buds
Panjiri
Flour, along with ghee and sugar, is used to prepare this delicious sweet dish. It is usually flavoured with nuts and cardamom.
Shrikhand
Creamy and cold dessert yoghurt flavoured with saffron, cardamom, and pistachios.
Ladoos and Pedas
Delicious sweet confectionaries are made essentially from lentils, nuts, and milk solids, which are offered to the deities and relished as Prasadam.
Janmashtami across India
From North India, the show of Mathura and Vrindavan, to the unique customs in the South in Kerala, every region boosts up its different traditions and customs, reflecting the rich tapestry of culture in the country. Let’s take a journey to witness the Janmashtami festivities across various states in India.
Janmashtami in North India—A Celebration From the Heart
North India forms the very pulse of the Janmashtami celebration, particularly Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. These two holy towns, associated with the birthplace of Krishna, turn vibrant with spiritual fervour and grandeur. Elaborate decoration in temples and houses, while devotees throng the streets in mass numbers, chanting hymns and participating in religious processions.
Janmashtami in South India
Similarly, with equal enthusiasm, it is celebrated in South India. However, it goes by the name Krishna Jayanti. It holds more spiritual activities involving devotional songs. Devotees spend the day fasting and singing to the praise of Lord Krishna with the bhajans.
Unique Customs
Each South Indian state has its own unique customs associated with Janmashtami. In Tamil Nadu, people create a vibrant kolam (rangoli) depicting Krishna’s footprints outside their homes. In Kerala, devotees perform the ‘Attam Kalam’ – a mesmerizing dance form depicting stories from Krishna’s life.
State Unique Customs
Tamil Nadu-Kolam depicting Krishna’s footprints
Kerala Attam Kalam – a dance depicting Krishna’s life
Karnataka Gokulashtami – eight-day festival leading up to Janmashtami
Andhra Pradesh—Janmashtami pandals decorated with flowers and mango leaves
Janmashtami in East India: A Spiritual Experience
The festival of Janmashtami is celebrated with religious zeal along with their regional traditions in East India. The festival is called Nanda Utsav in West Bengal. As the term goes, it means the celebration of joy by Nanda Baba, the foster father of Krishna. Processions can be seen carrying beautifully decorated chariots with idols of Krishna accompanied by devotees.
Odisha
Like that, Odisha, too, has its own set of rituals associated with Janmashtami. People here prepare special offerings made from cooked rice, jaggery, and cottage cheese. They also observe a day-long fast and visit temples to seek blessings from Lord Krishna.
Other Eastern States
Janmashtami is also celebrated with much fanfare in other eastern states, like Assam, Bihar, and Jharkhand. Of these places, each has its local traditions and rituals that bring further diversity to this festival.
Janmashtami in Northeast India: Regional Flair
Janmashtami is celebrated with regional fervour in the northeastern states of India. In Manipur, the festival is called ‘Janmashtami’ or even ‘Krishna Janma’. Here, tradition mixes with modernity. Dance performances, singing hymns, and prayer in the temples are where the people are found participating in.
Other Northeastern States
Though Manipur is very vibrant in its celebration, in other northeastern states like Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya, Janmashtami is celebrated on a low-key basis. But the devotees do visit the temples, offer their prayers, and sing hymns in the praise of Lord Krishna.
Western India-Janmashtami and the Festive Spirit
It is western India, especially Gujarat, that comes alive with colour and fanfare during celebrations. At this place, dynamic folk dances such as Garba and Dandiya are performed to celebrate the event. In huge numbers, people come together, wear colourful dresses, and flow with a strong rhythm throughout the night, making it a truly scintillating night.
Rajasthan
Known for its land of kings and queens, the state adds a royal touch to festive celebrations. Rich decorations adorn temples with beautifully decorated chariots in which the deities are placed and taken around by devotees.
Other western states
MP and Chhattisgarh also join in the high spirits of the Janmashtami celebration. People visit temples, participate in cultural programs, and arrange feasts during celebration festivals.
