By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: The festival of Shri Krishna Janmashtami was celebrated with great splendour on Monday. Various programmes, including Bhajan-Kirtan, were held in Shri Radha-Krishna Temple and other temples across the city. Cultural events continued late into the night, with devotees fasting throughout the day and breaking their fast at midnight after ceremoniously swinging the idol of Nandlal. Throughout the celebrations, Krishna devotees were immersed in devotion, displaying immense enthusiasm and emotion. Shri Krishna Janmashtami was marked with great fervour in Patna and the surrounding areas.
The ISKCON temple on Buddha Marg, the Gaudiya Math Mandir in Mithapur, Birla Temple, Mahavir Temple, and other places of worship were beautifully decorated for the occasion. Bhajan-Kirtan began in the temples from Monday morning, with the Abhishek Puja of Laddu Gopal taking place. Women’s groups were seen dancing to the rhythm of Bhajan-Kirtan within the temple premises, where crowds of devotees remained until 1 a.m. The Janmotsav celebrations included the anointing of Shri Krishna with milk and curd.
ISKCON Temple, Buddha Marg
Devotees were able to have darshan at the ISKCON temple from 7 a.m. to midnight. According to ISKCON’s Nand Gopal Das, the Lord was anointed with waters from 108 holy Tirthas and 251 silver urns amidst the recitation of Brahma Samhita and Dakshinayan Shankh. The festivities commenced at 11 a.m. in the Utsav Hall with Bhajan-Kirtan by Hare Krishna devotees, followed by a grand Aarti. Religious programmes were held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with notable attendees including LN Poddar, Lok Prakash Singh, Sunil Kumar Sinha, and Amit Adhikari. At midnight, the Lord was anointed with flower petals. The temple and its surroundings were monitored using CCTV cameras, and separate gates were arranged for men and women to enter the premises.
This year, the entire temple was adorned with flowers imported from Thailand and Bangkok. Fifty-six varieties of bhog were offered to the Lord. On this occasion, former Legislative Councillor Prof. Ranbir Nandan, along with his wife Namrata, performed a milk Abhishek on the Radha-Krishna idol in ISKCON Patna.
Shri Gaudiya Math, Mithapur
At midnight, as the temple doors opened for Janma Aarti, the Shri Gaudiya Math temple resounded with the chants of “Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki”. Devotees began dancing and singing in celebration, eagerly awaiting this moment throughout the year. Over 50,000 people visited the temple for darshan and worship throughout the day.
The programme at Gaudiya Math began in the morning, with Bhakti Ras Saar Maharaj Ji and other monastery residents reciting Maa Devki Garbha Stuti, Brahma Samhita, and Dashavatar Stotra. This was followed by kirtan, with thousands of devotees participating in the afternoon Aarti. In the evening, the Shri Krishna Leela Katha was performed, followed by the “Nand Yashoda Ko Badhai” Kirtan. Small children, dressed as Krishna, enthusiastically danced, enhancing the devotional atmosphere.
From 11 p.m. to midnight, Bhakti Ras Saar Maharaj Ji narrated the story of Shri Krishna Janm Leela to the devotees, with the invocation marked by the blowing of the conch at the auspicious moment. Fifty-six varieties of bhog were offered, and in the garbha mandir, Thakur Ji was grandly anointed with Panchgavya, Panchamrit, flowers, honey, and other items. The idol was dressed in new clothes and jewellery, and the temple was decorated with fragrant flowers.
Birla Temple, Sabzibagh
Shri Krishna Janmashtami was celebrated with great enthusiasm at the Birla Temple in Sabzibagh. The entire temple was adorned with colourful lights and various flowers. Throughout the day and late into the night, devotees visited the temple. The main religious event took place late at night, attracting thousands of people. At the stroke of midnight, Lord Krishna’s birth was celebrated with much pomp, accompanied by the sound of mridang, bheri, and conch blowing. Lullabies were sung to Bal Krishna as he was gently swung. The religious event was conducted under the supervision of the temple head, Vishwanath Sharma, while Bhajan-Kirtan continued throughout the night.
Bhikam Das Thakurbari, Bakarganj
Shri Krishna Janmashtami was also celebrated with grandeur at Bhikam Das Thakurbari. The main programme commenced at 7 p.m. and continued until 1 a.m. Thakurbari’s chief Mahant Jai Narayan Das said that Bhajan-Kirtan was performed continuously from 7 p.m. to midnight. A Bhajan Mandali from Mokama was invited to perform, and after the birth anniversary, the main prasad, Panjira, along with fruits, was distributed among the attendees. Das also mentioned that the Chhathihari of Lord Krishna would be celebrated on 2nd September, followed by a Bhandara.
Maharana Pratap Bhawan, Arya Kumar Road
The Maharana Pratap Bhawan Trust adorned Shri Krishna with flowers on the occasion of Janmashtami. The programme included a Matki breaking ceremony, Chhappan Bhog, and Bhajan performances by renowned artists from across India. The ceremony featured artists such as Master Raghav Adampur (Haryana), Swaroopa Kejriwal (Kolkata), Archana Tibrewal, and Anju Tekriwal (Patna). The celebrations concluded at midnight with the Maha Aarti of Lord Krishna’s birth and the distribution of Prasad.
Mahavir Temple
On Monday, traditional worship was performed at Mahavir Temple with full rituals. Bhajan-Kirtan began at 9 p.m. in front of the divine form of Lord Krishna, the charioteer of archer Arjun, located on the second floor of the temple. The praise of Lord Krishna commenced at 10:30 p.m. with a recitation from the Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran. Just before midnight, Kanhaiya was offered panjiri made with coriander and cold prasad, and the birth aarti of Lord Krishna was performed precisely at midnight. A large number of devotees, including Mahavir Mandir Trust Secretary Acharya Kishore Kunal, Pandit Bhavanath Jha, and temple priest Gajanan Joshi, were present.
Dadiji Temple
On the second day of the three-day Shri Krishna Janmashtami festival at Dadiji Temple, 251 women recited the Sunderkand collectively, led by Archana and Anju Tekriwal. The programme commenced with a Radha Krishna dance drama by artists from Kolkata, beautifully portraying the love story of Krishna and Radha. Flower petals were showered as Shri Krishna’s playful leela with the gopis was enacted. The event featured bhajans performed by Sunny Chaddha from Moradabad, Dharmendra Singh from Samastipur, Adarsh Dadhich from Katihar, Archana Goswami from Dhanbad, Urvashi Sharma from Delhi, Nagendra Jha from Navgachiya, and members of Patna Shyam Mandal.
Prajapita Brahmakumari Seva Kendra
The Shri Krishna Janmashtami programme was held on Monday at the Brahmakumari Seva Kendra in Buddha Colony. Brothers and sisters celebrated the festival with great enthusiasm and also participated in organised yoga to usher in the Satyug era. Sister BK Mridul, director of the service centre, described Shri Krishna Janmashtami as a memorable festival celebrating the birth of Shri Krishna Ji, the first Maharaj Kumar, who appeared on earth in his sixteen kala complete form and initiated the new Satyug creation. Sister Deepa, director Arunodaya, and others were also present on the occasion.
