Karnataka celebrates Sri Krishna Janmashtami with fervour

Bengaluru, Sep 6 (IANS) Sri Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated with religious fervour across Karnataka, especially at the historical Udupi Sri Krishna temple and at the ISKCON Bengaluru on Wednesday.

The festival is a time-honoured tradition wherein devotees of the Lord come together to rejoice Sri Krishna’s glorious birth.

Thousands of devotees from across the state and country thronged historical Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt and the temple early in the morning. The temple has been decked up for the occasion and devotees will continue to pay obeisance to their favorite God till late in the night. 

Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt was founded by the Vaishnavite saint Jagadguru Shri Madhvacharya in the 13th century.

Meanwhile, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Bangalore celebrated Sri Krishna Janmashtami, a joyous festival that commemorates the divine appearance of Lord Krishna.

As one enters the temple at Hare Krishna hill, one can experience a fresh fragrance of marigold flowers as the entire temple hall is decorated with marigold flowers. It is almost like entering a flower bungalow.

The decorations were unique this year with specially made decors from coconut leaves and banana stems around the temple’s main altar. Similar decorations can also be seen in Vaikuntha hill temple.

Every year, ISKCON, renowned for its vibrant Janmashtami celebrations, plays host to 1,00,000 to 1,50,000 devotees at its temples in Rajajinagar (Hare Krishna Hill) and Vasanthapura (Vaikuntha Hill) in Bengaluru.

This year, ISKCON has decided to extend the festivities to the southern part of the city. Celebrations will be held at KTPO (Karnataka Trade Promotion Organisation) convention hall in Whitefield on September 7 and 8.

The Hare Krishna Hill temple annually provides enriching spiritual experiences to devotees with special darshan, melodious kirtans, and delicious prasadam. The Vaikuntha Hill branch has Rajadhiraja Govinda as the main deity.

The Janmashtami event at KTPO, Whitefield, is aptly named Anand Mahotsav.

This unique event featured participants and volunteers from over 15 gated communities and 30 schools, making it a one-of-a-kind celebration in the country.

In most of the families, the small children and infants will be dressed as Lord Krishna and the photos will be kept as memoirs.