Pic Janm01 Krishna with Dahi Handi
Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami
-Rohit Kumar Parmar
Krishna Janmashtami or Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. It is observed on Ashtami (eighth day) of Krishna Paksha (waning moon) in Bhadrapad, corresponding to August or September of the Gregorian calendar. The festival typically falls when the monsoon begins to retreat, fields are laden with crops to ripen and rural communities have time to play.
Parents dress up toddlers and children as Krishna. There are regional versions of the celebration of Janmashtami, respecting the local folklore.
It is celebrated in Mathura and Vrindavan; and in Manipur, Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh; and also in other states of India and by the diaspora.
Krishna is Devaki and Vasudeva Anakadundubhi's son. As with other Avatars, Krishna is born at a time when persecution was rampant, freedoms were denied, there was evil everywhere, and there was a threat to Krishna’s life from his tyrant maternal uncle King Kansa.
Immediately following Krishna’s birth in Mathura, his father Vasudeva takes him across the Yamuna, to his foster parents- Nanda and Yashoda in Gokul. In the process/exchange, the daughter of Nanda and Yashoda, Yoganidra or YogaMāya (whose name is not known to most of us) is sacrificed.
Krishna’s childhood is full of mischief and pranks - a Makkan chor (butter thief), hiding clothes of bathing girls and so on, accordingly a large part of the celebrations are linked to them.
There are Dance-drama enactments of life of Krishna according to the Bhagavata Purana (such as Rasa or Krishna Lila), devotional songs through midnight when Krishna was born, fasting (upavasa), a night vigil (Ratri Jagaran), and a festival (Mahotsav) on the following day.
Dahi Handi is a Janmashtami tradition in Mumbai and Maharashtra, when young Tolis or Govinda pathaks (groups) get-together and break the Dahi Handi hung at a height, in order to make it difficult to reach. Girls surround these boys, cheer and tease them while dancing and singing. There are restrictions on the Dahi Handi celebrations due to Covid this year and should be followed.
Pic Janm02 Old Picture of human pyramid to break the Dahi Handi
In Dwarka, Gujarat – where Krishna established his kingdom, celebration have a tradition similar to Dahi Handi, called Makhan Handi (pot with freshly churned butter). They also perform folk dances at temples, sing bhajans, visit Krishna temples such as Dwarkadhish or Nathdwara. In Kutch district region, farmers decorate bullock carts for Krishna processions, with group singing and dancing.
In northern states, Janmashtami is celebrated in the Raslila tradition, which means " Rasa (juice or essence) Lila (play) ". This could be solo or group dance or drama events at Janmashtami, wherein Krishna related compositions are sung, music accompanies the performance, while actors and audience share and celebrate the performance by clapping hands to the beat.
In Jammu and other parts, kite flying is part of the celebration on Krishna Janmashtami.
The tradition of celebrating Krishna in eastern India is linked to the teachings of 15th and 16th century Sankardeva and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who developed philosophical ideas, and new forms of performance art to celebrate, such as Borgeet, Ankia Naat, Sattriya and Bhakti yoga.
In the region around Puri and in Nabadwip, West Bengal, people celebrate Janmashtami by fasting and worship until midnight. The Bhagavata Purana is recited from the 10th chapter, dedicated to the life of Krishna. The next day is called "Nanda Utsav" the joyous celebration of Krishna's foster parents Nanda and Yashoda.
Water from Ganga is brought to bathe Radha Madhava during the abhisheka ceremony. A grand abhisheka is performed at midnight for the small Radha Madhava Deities, while food (bhoga) offering of more than 400 items is offered to the deity with devotion.
Manipur has developed Manipuri dance, a classical dance form known for Hindu Vaishnavism themes, which like Sattriya includes love-inspired dance drama arts of Radha-Krishna called Raslila. While dancers perform Raslila, children play the Likon Sannaba game in the Meetei Vaishnava community.
Janmashtami is celebrated in Assam at homes, in community centers called Namghars (Assamese: নামঘৰ), and temples. According to tradition, devotees sing the Nam, perform pujas and share food and Prasada.
In Tamil Nadu, people decorate the floor with kolams (decorative pattern drawn with rice powder). Geetha Govindam (authored by Jayadeva) and other devotional songs are sung in praise of Krishna. They also draw footprints of Krishna from the entrance of the house till the pooja room, the path of his arrival in the house. The offerings made to Krishna include fruits, betel and butter. Savouries believed to be Krishna's favourites like Seedai, Sweet Seedai, Verkadalai Urundai are prepared.
In Andhra Pradesh, there is recitation of shlokas, and devotional songs are sung. Variety of fruits and sweets are first offered to Krishna and after puja, these sweets are distributed among visitors. Eatables along with milk and curd are prepared for offering to Krishna.
Popular south Indian temples dedicated to Krishna are Rajagopalaswamy in Mannargudi, Tiruvarur district, Pandavadhoothar in Kanchipuram, Sri Krishna in Udupi, and Krishna in Guruvayur. Legend says that the Sree Krishna Idol installed in Guruvayur was brought from Dwarka, which is believed to be submerged in the sea.
In Nepal, Hindus celebrate Krishna Janmashtami by reciting Bhagavad Gita and singing religious bhajans and kirtans. The temples of Krishna are decorated and shops, posters and houses carry Krishna motifs.
In Bangladesh a procession starting from Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka, the National Temple of Bangladesh proceeds through the streets of Old Dhaka. The tradition dates 1902, which was stopped in 1948 but resumed in 1989.
The Indian indentured labourers now settled in Fiji celebrate it as "Krishna Ashtami" with similar celebrations.
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