Janmashtami celebrations amid Covid-19 restrictions

Krishna Janmashtami, also known as Janmashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. The priests started offering prayers since early morning amid blowing of conch shells and beating of drums in the temples on the festival. The devotees gathered in large number for the decked up temples and carried colorful processions to celebrate the birth of Krishna  amid the restrictions imposed due to Covid-19.

In Mathura, devotees gathered outside the temple and greeted each other in loud chorus to celebrate the festival which was followed by the prayer (aarti) of God. Bathing ceremony of the deity – ‘Abhishekam’ was also performed with milk, curd, honey, ghee and khandsari. After the ‘Abhishekem’, ‘Charnamrit’ was distributed among the devotees in the Radha Raman temple of Vrindavan ensuring that devotees maintain social distancing and wear masks.

The Dahi Handi ritual inspired by the tale of Lord Krishna boyhood trick of stealing butter from a suspended earthen pot was also a low-key celebration in Maharashtra. The ritual involves youngsters moving around the city in processions, make human pyramids and break pots filled with butter or curd to win the prize money. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, a child climbed atop a table and broke Dahi Handi to mark the festival in a symbolic manner.

The President and the Prime Minister of India greeted the citizens of the country on the eve of Janmashtami. The President appreciated the efforts of the corona warriors in their fight against the deadly virus which is truly inspired by the Karmayoga principle of the Lord Krishna.