||~Shri Krishna Janamasthami ~||

Krishna was the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva. Based on scriptural details and astrological calculations, the date of Krishna's birth, known as Janmashtami,^[6] is 18 July 3228 BCE and he lived until 18 February 3102 BCE.^{[7] [8]} Krishna belonged to the Vrishni clan of Yadavas from Mathura,^[9] and was the eighth son born to the princess Devaki and her husband Vasudeva.

Mathura (in present day Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh) was the capital of the Yadavas, to which Krishna's parents Vasudeva and Devaki belonged. King Kansa, Devaki's brother,^[10] had ascended the throne by imprisoning his father, King Ugrasena. Afraid of a prophecy that predicted his death at the hands of Devaki's eighth son, Kansa had the couple locked in a prison cell. After Kansa killed the first six children, and Devaki's apparent miscarriage of the seventh (which was actually a secret transfer of the infant to Rohini as Balarama), Krishna was born.

Following the birth, Vishnu ordered Vasudeva to take Krishna to Gokul to Nanda and Yashoda,^[11] where he could live safely, away from his Uncle Kansa. Vasudeva took Krishna with him and crossed the Yamuna to reach Gokul. There, everyone was asleep; so he quietly kept him there and returned with Yashoda's daughter. Kansa, thinking her to be Devki's eight child, threw her on a stone. But she rose into the air and transformed into Yogmaya (who is Vishnu's helper) and warned Kansa about his death. Then, she disappeared.^[11] Krishna grew up in Gokul with his brother, Balram. He then returned to Mathura and killed Kansa with the help of Balram.

Janmaashtami or Gokulashtami, popularly known in Mumbai and Pune as Dahi Handi, is celebrated as an event which involves making a human pyramid and breaking an earthen pot (handi) filled with buttermilk (dahi), which is tied at a convenient height. The topmost person tries to break the handi by hitting it with a blunt object. When the handi breaks, the buttermilk is spilled over the entire group. This event is based on the legend of the child-god Krishna stealing butter. A participant in this festival is called a Govinda or Govinda pathak.

Many such Govinda pathaks compete with each other, especially for the prize money. These groups are called mandals or handis and they go around the local areas, attempting to break as many pots as possible every August. The event, since the 2000s, has gathered a political flavour, and it is common for political parties and rich community groups to offer prizes amounting to lakhs of rupees. Local celebrities and Bollywood actors also participate. Some of the popular handis are at Dadar, Lower Parel, Worli, Mazgaon, Lalbaug, Thane in Mumbai and Babu Genu, Mandai in Pune.Cash and gifts are offered for Govinda troops to participate; for over 4,000 handis in Mumbai, 2,000 Govinda troops compete for the prizes

AssamEdit

Janmaashtami - popularly known in Assam by the same name- is celebrated in Assam mostly at the homes, Namghars (Assamese: ) and the temples usually though Janmaashtami Nam, pujas and sharing food and Prasad.

ManipurEdit

Janmaashtami - popularly known in Manipur as Krishna Janma - is a significant festival celebrated at two temples in Imphal, the capital city of Manipur. The first festival is at the Govindaji temple, and the second is at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness temple.

Janmashtami in Vrindavan

The holy town of Vrindavan is where Krishna spent his childhood and his teenage years. Situated on the banks of the river Yamuna, Vrindavan is where Krishna performed the famous Rasleelas with his Gopis. The celebrations start 10 days prior to the day of Birth in Vrindavan. Rasleelas and plays on the life of Krishna and even scenes from the epic Mahabharata of which Lord Krishna was an indispensable part, are performed by professional artists on the occasion of Janmashtami. These plays draw a large amount of tourists to Vrindavan.

Temple decorated for Janmashtami (Source)

There are over 4000 temples in Vrindavan of which Ranganathji Temple, ISCKON Temple, Radharaman Temple, to name a few, are the main temples where people flock for their ceremonies and ritualistic events that takes place throughout the day of Janmashtami; especially the Abhishek which is the grand ritualistic bath of Lord Krishna before the ceremonies begin.

Madhuban, an area near the Yamuna River is believed to be the exact place where Lord Krishna was said to have performed rasleelas with his beloved Gopis, 5000 years ago. A local folklore says that even till this date, Lord Krishna descends at this place to perform rasleelas with the gopis. Hence, no locals set foot in the area after dusk. Though, Madhuban is brightly lit and decorated during Janmashtami as rasleelas and plays are performed here but only during daytime. A majority of the devotees and tourists come to Madhuban to see the famous performances before heading to Mathura.

Janmashtami in Mathura

With thousands of temples in the city of Mathura, celebrations start over a month before the day of birth. Two most important aspects of the Janmashtami festival celebrated here are Jhulanotsav and Ghatas. Jhulanotsov is the ritual where people put out swings in the courtyard of their houses and temples decorated with flowers and rangolis around to welcome Lord Krishna to their dwellings and to symbolize the cradling of the infant Krishna. Ghatas are another unique feature of the celebrations here at Mathura, where all the temples in the city are decorated with the color of the chosen theme including the clothes of the Idol Krishna as well. They follow this tradition for an entire month and without which the celebration of the festival isn't complete.

In the days leading up to the Janma divas, Rasleelas (dance - dramas which were popular performed by Krishna himself in his days) are performed by various groups especially by 10-13 year old kids. Also Jankis are made, which are clay modeled figures on display wherein scenes depicting various stages of Krishna's life are showcased all over the city of Mathura.

Krishna Janma Bhoomi Temple, Mathura (Source)

Krishna was born at midnight so the celebrations lead up to that time after which various poojas and rituals take place in the temples. The main event however is held at the actual location of Krishna's birth which is now converted into a big Krishna Janma Bhoomi Mandir. The idol is kept in a room called Garbha Griha, it is given a ritualistic bath with milk and curd, dressed up in traditional clothes and placed in the cradle. The cradle is then rocked while the devotees chant prayers and sing hymns. It is a popular belief that any wish made while the cradle is rocked, comes true on the day of Janmashtami. As the devotees welcome the lord, the lord is presented with panchamrit and Chappan bhog (56 dishes). This is then distributed among the devotees who break their fast with this.