Sri Krishna Janmashtami will be celebrated for two days in Mathura-Vrindavan, know how are the arrangements

Mathura: Lord Krishna’s birth anniversary will be celebrated for two days in the religious city of Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, for which extensive security arrangements are being made. Officials said that extensive preparations are underway in Braj these days to celebrate Krishna’s 5251st birthday with great pomp and show. The festival of Janmashtami will be celebrated on the midnight of 26 August in all the major temples, including Shri Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura, whereas Janmashtami will be celebrated on the night of 27 August in Thakur Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan. In such a situation, the devotees coming here will be able to enjoy Janmashtami for two days. 

Janmashtami on 26 and 27 August

Every year, Lord Krishna’s birth anniversary is celebrated on the midnight of Ashtami Tithi of Krishna Paksha of Bhadrapad month. On the second day, on the occasion of Navami, Nandotsav (celebration of the joy of Krishna’s birth) is celebrated in temples, in which symbolic Nand Baba celebrates the birth of his son. According to the saints, this time Lord Krishna’s birth celebration will be held on the midnight of 26th August in all the temples and houses of Braj. Fast will be observed during the day and after the birth of the Lord at noon in the night, the fast will be broken by offering Panjiri made of coriander. Shri Krishna Janmashtami will be celebrated on 27th August in Thakur Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan. 

The date is decided according to the calendar

Temple manager Munish Sharma said that all the festivals held throughout the year in Banke Bihari temple are celebrated according to the Panchang decided by the temple priest, which is decided based on Udayat (i.e. the date on which the sun rises). Acharya Chhailbihari Goswami, priest and sevayat of Bihari Ji temple, said that at the beginning of every year, the Panchang of all the festivals of the temple is prepared and then all the works are done according to it throughout the year. He said, “This year, since the sunrise will be on 27th August on Ashtami Tithi, therefore, according to the tradition of the temple, the festival of Shri Krishna Janmashtami will be celebrated on the same day and after midnight, Thakur ji’s Mangala Aarti will be done at 2 o’clock.” Mangala Aarti is a special Aarti which is done once a year, only on this day. 

Aaradya’s Mahabhishek will be held from 12 o’clock at night 

Acharya Prahlad Ballabh Goswami, who is an expert on the history of Thakur Banke Bihari temple and serves, said that on August 27, darshan and aartis will be performed at the scheduled time, after which the Mahabhishek of the deity will take place from midnight, whose darshan will not be accessible to common visitors. He said that after this, Mangala Aarti will take place at around 2 o’clock in the night. Till a few decades ago, this Mangala Aarti used to take place at four in the morning, in which only a limited number of devotees used to participate. 

Darshan will be done after Mangala Aarti

Acharya Prahlad Ballabh Goswami said that after the completion of Mangala Aarti, devotees will be able to have darshan of Thakur ji. “Then the temple will remain open till 5 am. After the morning Shringar Aarti, Nandotsav will be organized in the temple to commemorate Krishna’s birth. Then Thakur ji will be adorned with yellow clothes and ornaments and will give unique darshan.” Kapil Sharma, secretary of Shri Krishna Janmasthan Nyas of Mathura, said that the festival of Janmashtami will be celebrated on August 26 in all the temples including Garbhagriha, Thakur Keshav Dev and Bhagwat Bhawan at Shri Krishna Janmasthan. 

Arrangements being made for the devotees

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shailesh Kumar Pandey said that for this, a demand of two to two and a half thousand policemen and officers has been made from the government level. So that security can be provided to lakhs of devotees coming from the country and abroad on this occasion. He said that the entire plan has been prepared for this and all preparations are being done accordingly. SSP said that especially if Shri Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated on two different days in Shri Krishna Janmasthan of Mathura and Thakur Bankebihari temple of Vrindavan, it will be easier to maintain the system