2 Sep : Amid blowing of conch shells, the famous Radha Raman temple at Vrindaban reverberated with ‘Hare Krishna’ as thousands of devotees thronged the premises to celebrate Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna.
The Banke Behari temple in Vrindaban decorated with flowers and echoed with ‘Nand ke lala ki jai’.
A large number of devotees gathered in the temple courtyard to have a glimpse of ‘abhishek’ of the Lord with milk, curd, honey and ghee amid chanting of vedic hymns.
After four hours of ‘abhishek’, prasadam was distributed among the people.
Some of the devotees, including noted musician Pandit Jasraj, got ‘vastra prasadam’ (the cloth used by the deity at the time of bathing ceremony), the temple priest Dinesh Chandra Goswami said.
While people in Nandgaon and Barsana celebrated the festival today, those in Mathura, Goverdhan, Gokul, Baldeo and Mahaban will be celebrating the Sri Krishna Janmashtami on Thursday.
Security arrangements were put in place and no untoward incident was reported, District Magistrate Dinesh Chandra Shukla said.
Prez, VP, PM greet people on Janmashtami
President Pratibha Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday greeted the nation on the occasion of Janmashtami.
In her message, Patil said, “on the auspicious occasion of Janamashtami, I extend my greetings and best wishes and best wishes to all my fellow citizens.”
“May this festival inspire all of us to lead lives in which we ceaselessly strive for amity and unity with all our compatriots,” she added.
Extending his “heartiest” greetings and good wishes to the people, Ansari said that celebrated across the country with traditional fervour and enthusiasm, Janmashtami reminds of the life and teachings of Lord Krishna.
“On this occasion, let us rededicate ourselves to the teachings of Lord Krishna and work for the creation of a peaceful, harmonious and enlightened society,” he said.
In his message, Singh said that the festival of Janamashtami celebrates the life and eternal teachings of Lord Krishna on discipline, knowledge and selfless action.
“May the festival inspire us towards the goal of banishing ignorance and poverty through education and herald peace and prosperity for all,” he added.