Janmashtami

Hindus celebrate Janmashtami, also known as Krishna Janmashtami, Gokulashtami, Krishnasthami, or Srijayanti, to commemorate the birth of Krishna, who is considered to be Vishnu’s eighth avatar. The cities of Mathura and Vrindavan, where Krishna is thought to have been born and spent his formative years, respectively, host the major celebrations of this festival.

Date and time

In India, the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada (July-August) is observed as Krishna Janmashtami.

History and significance

According to Hindu mythology, Krishna, the human embodiment of Vishnu, was born on this day to defeat Mathura’s evil ruler Kansa, who was the evil brother of Devaki, Krishna’s upright mother. On Ashtami, the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the Bhadrapada month, Krishna, the son of Devaki and Vasudeva, was born in Mathura (August-September).

King Kansa, Krishna’s uncle, governed Mathura at the time of his birth. Kansa wanted to kill his sister’s children because a prophecy said that the couple’s eighth son would be the cause of Kansa’s death. In response to the prophecy, Kansa imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva and killed their first six children.

Nevertheless, the foetus mysteriously moved from Devaki’s womb to Princess Rohini’s at the time of the birth of their seventh child, Balram. When their eighth child, Krishna, was born, the entire palace fell asleep, and Vasudeva had to retrieve the kid and take him to Nand Baba and Yashodha’s home in Vrindavan.

Following the trade, Vasudeva brought a baby girl back to the palace and gave Kansa custody of her. In order to prevent the evil monarch from killing the infant, she changed into Durga and warned him of his impending death. As a result, Krishna was able to grow up in Vrindavan and eventually murder his uncle Kansa.

Celebration

Devotees observe a fast and offer prayers to Krishna on this auspicious day. People light up and decorate the temples as well as their own homes with flowers, diyas, and lights.

Because it is believed that Krishna was born and spent his formative years in Mathura and Vrindavan, these temples host the most extravagant and vivid celebrations. Krishna was born at midnight, hence at midnight an idol of a baby Krishna is bathed and put in a cradle. Raslila is a devotional ritual in which devotees act out scenes from Krishna’s life to commemorate his devotion to Radha.

This event is also jubilantly observed in Maharashtra, where people reenact Krishna’s earliest attempts to steal butter and curd from earthen pots. A matka or pot is raised several feet in the air during the DahiHandi festival, and participants construct a human pyramid to get to it and eventually destroy it.