You must have heard the popular quotes “Hathi Ghora Palki Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki!”
With the Janmashtami celebration just round the corner, the country is preparing itself for the grand occasion, which marks the birth of Lord Krishna. Janmashtami or Gokul Ashtami is one of the most sacred Hindu festivals celebrated in different parts of the country with great fun and fervor. The occasion is observed on the eighth day of the Krishna Paksha of the month of Shraavana according to the Hindu calendar. Special pujas are performed both in temples and homes and the entire day is devoted listening to devotional songs and special aartis are performed in the praise of the Lord.
If you too are preparing for this grand festival, then here in this blog we will share with you some interesting things related to the annual celebration of Janmashtami. During this time, the temples are beautifully decorated and people also fast until midnight as it is believed that the Avatar of Vishnu was born at the stroke of midnight. This biggest religious festival is celebrated by almost nine hundred and thirty million people all over the globe. But what is so special about Lord Krishna? It is his unique and personal way to reciprocate with every devotee. He is at times the mischievous son, the most adorable and romantic lover and sometimes the most compassionate friend. The Lord responds to the distinct desires and feelings that are held deeply in the heart of every worshipper.
So, if you have a Baal Gopala at home and you are preparing for the celebration, here are few best ways to decorate the idol to make the festival memorable and unique. There are various ways of decorating your idol at home and here are few best ways to decorate your Lord for the Hindu festival.
Some interesting ways to decorate Lord Krishna for Janmashtami:
Flowers: Floral decoration or arrangements made with living or dried plant materials offer great embellishments. Flowers have always played a great role in any religious ceremonies, and it is always in fashion and you simply cannot go wrong. So, use different kinds of bright flowers like marigold and rose to cover the singhasan or even to cover the floor and the surroundings and let the fragrance take over. You can hang garlands of flowers and green leaves all over the room for extra effects.
Curtains and draperies: You can decorate the room with some beautiful curtains and don’t hesitate to use lustrous silk fabric. The look is especially terrific when the silk is white and pink or in any other pastel shades. Cover the walls behind the idol and the singhasan with curtains and you can also choose to use bright colors like yellow, blue and red which are widely used colors in Hinduism.
Dress: Your feeling for your Kanha is not complete without a perfect outfit. You can dress up your deity with beautiful and bright colored dress made of silk and jari work. You can purchase such dresses even online and look for something that is long and spreads across a large space. Pick up a nice outfit and also don’t forget the accessories like the kada, mukut, neckpiece and even a flute.
The Jhula: You can create the Krishna jhula from simple and easy materials that are already available at your home. Collect some crafty stuff like the colorful laces, jewels, beads and even some fancy fabrics and artificial flowers or ribbons and decorate the jhoola using some innovative and creative ideas.
The Vrindavan look: To create a different environment to your pooja room during Janmashtami, you can recreate Vrindavan through your décor. Create a village and add statues of gopis, cows, peacock and huts for the natural look.
Use peacock feathers: There is nothing better motif to use than the quintessential peacock feather to decorate your Pooja room on the occasion of Janmashtami. You can use artificial peacock feathers and give a brilliant touch to your decoration. Place some feathers in flower vases and also use it to accessorize the mukut.
Rangoli: Create a beautiful and artistic peacock in your rangoli at the entrance of your home. Be creative with the colors and place some diyas and flowers strategically.
Where to celebrate Gokul Ashtami
With temples and homes beautifully decorated for the celebrations on a grand scale, several events are also arranged for the devotees that include breaking of the matka or the earthen pot and etc.
If you are residing in or around Delhi, then here are some areas where you can visit to participate in some of the mega events.
ISKCON Mandir, Delhi: This ISCKON temple opened in 1998 is located in the East of Kailash area of New Delhi is also known as the Vaishnav temple. Janmashtami happens to be one of the biggest festivals of the year where about 8 lakh people visit the temple. The celebration starts from early in the morning and continues till midnight. Devotional songs and bhajans are sung in praise of the lord. You can easily reach the venue either by buses, metro, auto rickshaws or taxis.
Laxmi Narayan temple, (Birla Mandir), Delhi: This temple is spread over an area of 7.5 acres and it is one of the major attractions of Delhi, where thousands of devotees visit on the occasion of Janmashtami.
Radha Govind Dev Temple Noida: This temple is located in Sector 33 of Noida and the management team of the temple organizes various events where the devotees can participate with great fervor and enthusiasm. Small boys and girls dress in kanha and gopis and they dance in colorful attires.
Celebration in Mathura and Vrindavan: Janmashtami is the main festival of this region as it happens to be the place where Kanhaiya was born. The Bankey Bihari is a famous temple where many Indians and foreigners are spotted singing the Jhule Lal mantra. Rasleela is a major event of this day and is celebrated in the holy city of Vrindavan. It is a form of devotional dance that the Gopis performed with the Lord.
Celebrations in other parts of India:
Maharashtra: Gokulashtami is an important festival celebrated in Maharashtra and the Dahi Handi is a game played by the devotees where a dedicated team has to break the handi, which is hung very high by forming human pyramids. The competition draws about hundreds and thousands of people and the winner sometimes earns lakhs of rupees.
The eastern states: Krishna Janmashtami is also celebrated with great spirit in the Eastern states of India. It is popularly known as Krishna Janma in Manipur and the Hindus in Imphal are also ardent followers of Krishna. They too celebrate the day with lots of devotion and the Govindhji temple and the ISKCON temples are two main centers of attraction where the occasion is celebrated in full swing.
Gokul Ashtami Puja Date 2016:
This year 2016, the devotees can observe fast for the celebration on 25th of August (Thursday). They should have only a single meal a day before the celebration and observe a long day fast to beak it the next day when the Ashtami thithi is over.