- Devotees throng temples, various rituals held
Bhopal: The birth of Lord Krishna was celebrated at several places across the state on Thursday, although some devotees also started the celebration on August 6 itself. In Bhopal, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is one of the main hubs of festivities, where a colourful array of cultural programmes were beautifully merged with spiritual undertones.
The programmes started in the wee hours on Thursday at ISKCON temple, Raisen Road, with Mangal Aarti to wake up the Lord, followed by Shringar Darshan. There was Kirtan organised throughout the day, along with Prasad distribution.
The evening was a medley of Krishna Leela, followed by ‘Gupt Vrindavan ka rahasya’ – a dance drama presented by youth forum of the ISKCON.
Laxminarayan Temple Birla in the city was beautifully decked up for Janmashtami. Lord Krishna’s birth was celebrated with pomp in the temple on Thursday. The temple will remain open for devotees to visit till 1 am. In view of the crowd of devotees, strict security arrangements were also made in the temple. A bhajan evening was organized from 7.30 pm.
The programmes started from Brahma Muhurta at Dadaji Dham Mandir Raisen Road. Night programmes were held at number five stop Shivaji Mandir by Char Bhujaji Mewar Mandal. Special preparations were made for the festival at Maa Durga Dham. Clothes of Lord Shrinath were prepared in Shreeji temple.
Utkal Samaj, Bhopal, organized a puja on this occasion. In the evening, there was a puja dedicated to Lord Krishna, along with a Laxmi puja, at Jagannath Mandir, Utkal Bhawan, Jharneshwar Road, TT Nagar. With simplicity and utmost love, devotees welcome the annual arrival of Lord Krishna.