Festivities Galore in Mathura on Janmashtami; Devotees Offer Prayers to Lord Krishna

Mathura: Lakhs of devotees from across the country thronged Lord Krishna temples in this holy town from early hours on Monday for Janmashtami celebrations.

The Krishna Janmabhoomi temple here held the 'Mangala Aarti' in the morning, with hundreds in attendance as the temple premises reverberated with the chants of 'Jai Jai Shri Radhey' and 'Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki'.

Pilgrims flooded the Nand Bhavan temple in Gokul for the 'Chhathi Pujan' programme, temple priest Mathura Das said.

"Till late evening nearly 25 lakh pilgrims had paid their obeisance in different temples of Mathura, Vrindavan, Goverdhan, Mahaban while un-official figures estimate more”, Senior Superintendent of Police, Shailesh Kumar Pandey said.

He said the number of pilgrims is likely to increase since the influx of pilgrims is continuing.

"Our effort is to provide easy Darshan without compromising security as the line system is strictly adhered to when the influx of devotees in few temples is more”, he said.

There has been no untoward incident so far, police said.

"I feel really happy here and why not, it's the birthday celebration of Lord Krishna," Himani, a devotee told PTI Videos.

At the Krishna Janmasthan temple, several devotees broke into dance on Monday morning, to the spell of clarinet and drums along with shlokas and chants. The pilgrims were offered 'Charnamrit' after 'Mangala Aarti', temple officials said.

"Amidst chanting of Vedic hymns and playing of conch, a procession of priests carried auspicious attire of Radha Krishna and other deities of different temples based at Srikrishna Janmasthan on Sunday evening," a temple official said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led the Krishna Janmashtami celebrations in Mathura on Monday, offering special prayers to the deities.

"Today in the holy city of Mathura, I visited and worshipped the divine and beautiful forms of Yogeshwar Lord Shri Krishna and Shri Radha Rani. May the blessings of Dukhbhanjan, Yashodanandan, Lord Shri Krishna and Shri Radha Ji remain in the entire universe and this world," he said in a post on X in Hindi, earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, in Vrindavan, festivities at the Radha Shyam Sundar temple started with uninterrupted "Hari Naam Sankirtan" in the morning that will continue till 2 AM, temple Mahant Krishna Gopalanand Deo Prabhupaad said.

Bhakti, a young girl told PTI Videos that some devotees had been waiting in the queue since 4 am before they could get darshan of the deities.

"I am very excited for the festival. The 'poshaak' (dresses) of the deities look extremely beautiful," she added.

At the Dwarkadhish temple, Janmastami began with the melodious sound of flute, clarinet and mini drums.

"Thousands participated in the morning 'Abhishek' ceremony at the temple," temple spokesperson Rakesh Tewari said, adding that normally devotees begin their fast after taking Charnamrit of the deity.

The bathing ceremony of the deity was also performed in Mathura's Old Keshav Dev temple, Govardhan's Daan Ghati temple, Chaurasi Khamba Mahaban and Radha Shyam Sundar temple in Vrindavan.

"I feel so good in Mathura and do not feel like going anywhere else. Seeing the idols of the god, I feel blessed. The way Lord Krishna and Radha Rani have been dressed up, it looks beautiful and is if God himself has appeared to give his darshan to devotees," a devotee told PTI Videos.

Pilgrims perform circumambulation of the Govardhan hill on the occasion since it is considered a good omen on this festival, Daan Ghati temple's priest Mathura Prasad Kaushik said.

District Magistrate Shailendra Singh said Mathura has been decked up for the occasion and the decorations have been done at all key road crossings, and along the streets.

According to officials, entry into Banke Bihari temple during "Mangla Aarti" on Tuesday will be restricted as per guidelines of the High Court.

The finishing touch is being given to Janmastami arrangements in five temples of Vrindavan including two ancient temples known for the celebration of Janmastami during the day, as the festival in these temples will be celebrated on August 27, Padmanabha Goswami the secretary of Sapt devalayas (cluster of seven ancient temples) said.

"In ancient Radha Damodar temple and Radha Raman temple Janmastami is celebrated during the day while in the other two as usual during night," he said.

A huge spiritual procession (Shobha Yatra) depicting the various sports of Krishna started from Srikrishna Janmasthan and passed through different markets on Monday evening.

"The environment was charged with religious sentiments as rose petals were showered in different markets from the rooftops on the procession that finally terminated at Sri Krishna Janmasthan", Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi, a trustee of management said. 

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