Gujarat Celebrates Janmashtami Today, Marking Bhagwan Krishna’s 5253rd Birth Anniversary

Devbhumi Dwarka: Gujarat, along with the whole country, is celebrating Janmashtami today, with a festive and devotional atmosphere prevailing across major Krishna temples in the state, including Dwarka, Dakor and Shamlaji. Large crowds of devotees have gathered at the temples since morning, while many Hindus are observing a Farali fast.

The 5,253rd birth anniversary of Bhagwan Krishna is being celebrated with special rituals, including Mangla Aarti, Panchamrut Abhishek and elaborate shringar. At the ancient Shri Dwarkadhish Temple, also known as Jagat Mandir, devotees have been arriving in large numbers for darshan since early morning.

At Dwarka, the temple witnessed Mangla Aarti in the morning, followed by special bathing and shringar rituals. For the midnight Janmotsav, the priests have prepared a special saffron outfit using 10 metres of cloth, featuring embroidery with around 1 to 1.5 kg of silver thread and diamond work. The outfit, estimated to cost around Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.25 lakh, will be offered to Dwarkadhish after the pre-birth Panchamrut Abhishek at 11 pm. The deity will also be adorned with a jewel-studded Kuler crown.

The main Janmotsav will be celebrated at midnight, when devotees will mark Krishna’s birth with prayers and chants of “Nand Gher Anand Bhayo, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki”. The temple will remain open for devotees during the celebrations.

At Dakor, special Panchamrut Abhishek, bhog and shringar were performed for Lord Ranchhodraiji in the morning. The main birth celebration will take place at midnight after another Panchamrut Abhishek. Following the ceremony, the deity will be dressed in new clothes and adorned with jewellery. The child form of Gopal Lalji Maharaj will also be placed alongside the deity and celebrated with a cradle ceremony.

Special darshan arrangements have been made at Dakor from 5 pm today until 5 am tomorrow to manage the large number of devotees.

Shamlaji has also witnessed a heavy footfall, with thousands of devotees gathering at the temple complex. The hills around the temple have echoed with chants of “Jai Shamlaiya” as devotees arrived from different parts of the country and abroad. A Matki Phod programme and other devotional activities have added to the celebrations.

Authorities have made special security and crowd-management arrangements at Dwarka and Dakor to ensure smooth darshan and traffic movement during the festival. DeshGujarat