Krishna Janmashtami, also known as Gokulashtami, krishnashtami and many other names or otherwise simply known as Janmashtami, is an occasion celebrated in honor of Hindu deity Lord Krishna’s birth anniversary every year in India for centuries. People celebrate this day with lots of fervor as well as enthusiasm with many Janmashtami activities.As per the Hindu calendar, Janmashtami is celebrated on the eighthday of the Bhadrapada month of Krishnapaksha. This festival is celebrated as an important day all across India by Hindus. Now that we know what Janmashtami is, it is time for us to talk about the history of Janmashtami and then we will talk about the celebrations.
History of Janmashtami:
Janmashtami dates back to few thousand years. There were lots of stories and also many legendary people associated with this Janmashtami festival and people have come to know about this from famous scholars and other elder people. When we explore the origin of this great festival, we will come across thousands of things about Lord Krishna and his birth.
It was thought that Lord Krishna was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu who is one of the important Gods of Hindu religion. Krishna was believed to be born to kill Kansa, who was the unreligious evil king of Mathura, and other evils from the face of earth in order to spread peace, prosperity and religion on earth and also to spread the message of brotherhood and humanity.
As per the historians and scholars, it was the extreme cruelty of the evil king Kansa and other demons that made Lord Vishnu to take birth as Lord Krishna in the form of a human on earth.
The story goes on like this: when the people of Mathura are suffering a lot under the evil king Kansa’s rule, who kept his father Ugrasen in a prison and became king, one heavenly voice came and declared that Kansa would be killed by one of the children of his sister named Devaki for his evil activities.
As a result of that, Lord Krishna’s birth took place in Dwapar yug i.e., in the visvavasu year around 3227 B.C. He was born on a stormy and dark night on the eighth day of shravana month which is between the months of August and September as per the Gregorian calendar. He was born in Kansa’s prison to Devaki and Vasudeva and he was declared as the savior of mankind from Kansa and other evil forces even before his birth took place.
From the day he was born, he has been treated as a special child and he also had many extraordinary powers when compared to other children of the same age. He did many magical things throughout his childhood and teenage years in Gokul which made people to believe that he is the form of God. From then, people of Nandgaon started celebrating Lord Krishna’s birthday as a day of fortune.
How Janmashtami is celebrated?
Even today,people celebrate Lord Krishna’s birthday as Janmashtami or Gokulashtami and they observe this day as a giver of fortune, joy and honor.
On the day of Janmashtami, Hindus celebrate by fasting as well as staying awake until midnight that is until the time when Lord Krishna was thought to have born.People decorate their houses and temples beautifully and illuminate them with colorful lights.People place the images of Lord Krishna in a cradle in the form of a baby at their homes or temples and perform elaborate pooja by swinging the cradle all night long. Some people also draw the foot prints of baby Krishna from their house entrance all the way to the pooja room which is a sign of welcoming Lord Krishna.
People believe that celebrating Lord Krishna’s birth every year like this will save them from all the evil forces and offer them peace, prosperity and fulfill all their wishes too.
There are many special foods and dishes prepared on this special occasion and offered to Lord Krishna. Especially,people offer milk and milk products to Lord Krishna as it was believed that Lord Krishna loves milk, curd and butter. Many others perform dramas and dances and celebrate this occasion with joy and pleasure.Even children will enjoy a lot on this occasion. Many people decorate their small kids in the form of Lord Krishna and starts celebrating this festival.
People also celebrate this occasion by giving Janmashtami gifts to their relatives, friends and neighbors in some places.
These celebrations of Janmashtami are different in different states of India that is both in North and the South. There are many places where Janmashtami is celebrated as a great festival and those places include Maharashtra, Assam, Manipur, Nepal, and Bangladesh and in many parts of South India too. Especially places like Vrindavan and Mathura are special and the celebrations here are very elaborate as these are the places where Lord Krishna spent his days.
So, go be part of this great occasion and celebrate it according to your customs and traditions.Whichever way you offer pooja to him,Lord Krishna will bless you. He is a great god who looks after the mankind and their well-being. Celebrate this occasion with joy and have pleasure with various Janmashtami gift ideas.
This is all about the history and celebrations of Janmashtami, the great Lord Krishna’s birth anniversary. Now that you are aware of the history of Janmashtami, you can celebrate the coming Janmashtami well.Pray the god with your full heart and you will definitely get good blessings from him. Also enjoy the whole day by performing various dramas, dances and make it a remarkable occasion every year you celebrate it. Hope you got all the information about Lord Krishna’s Janmashtami.
