Krishna Janmashtami : WHY WE CELEBRATE THIS FESTIVAL?

Janmashtami in 2020 is on the Wednesday, 12th of Aug (8/12/2020).

It may be known as Gokulashtami or Sreekrishna Jayanthi in some regions.According to the Hindu calendar, this religious festival is celebrated on the Ashtami of Krishna Paksh or the 8th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadon.

History of Janmashtami:-

Janmashtami (Krishna Jayanti) is the birthday of Lord Krishna,the eighth reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was born around 5,200 years ago in Mathura. The sole objective of Sri Krishna's birth was to free the Earth from the evilness of demons. He played an important role in Mahabharata and propagated the theory of bhakti and good karma which are narrated deeply in the Bhagwat Geeta. The day before may consist of fasting and prayer up to midnight, the time at which it was said that Krishna was born.

Krishna is born in an area of chaos. It's a time when persecution was rampant, freedoms were denied, evil was everywhere, and when there was a threat to his life by his uncle King Kansa. Immediately following the birth at Mathura, his father Vasudeva Anakadundubhi takes Krishna across Yamuna, to foster parents in Gokul, named Nanda and Yashoda.

Krishna was born in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. In this region, a common tradition is the performance of Krishna Lila,This is followed by all-night vigils with the singing of devotional songs, fasting, and a festival the following day where specially made sweets and delicacies are distributed and enjoyed by all.

The sole reason of celebrating this festival is bringing people together so that principles of unity strengthen. Dahi Handi is another important aspect of this festival that is observed in the second day of Krishna  Janmashtami. As a kid Lord Krishna was named "Makhanchor" or the one who steals butter.

Dahi Handi is an event where the same butter stealing activity of Lord Krishna is narrated. An earthen pot or handi is filled with butter, clarified butter or ghee, dry fruits, and milk is suspended at a considerable height with help of ropes. All the local young guys gather to make a human pyramid and climb on each other to reach the handi and break it.

Krishna Janmashtami : Sri Krishna temples to visit-

• ISKCON temples
• Banke Bihari Temple, Vrindavan
• Dwarkadish Temple, Dwaraka
• Krishna Balaram Mandir, Vrindavan
• Sri Krishna Temple, Udupi
• Guruvayur Temple, Kerala
• Govind Dev Ji Temple, Jaipur
• Akshaya Patra Temple, Jaipur
• Rajagopalaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu
• Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha
• Prem Mandir Vrindavan
• Shri Nathji Temple, Nathdwara, Rajasthan
• Any Krishna temple of your town

Thank-you