Janmashtami celebrated with devotion at ISKCON Kolkata

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 17 (ANI) A large number of devotees gathered at midnight prayers to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna on the occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami at the ISKCON Temple in West Bengal's Kolkata.

The festival was marked with devotion and enthusiasm across the country.
At ISKCON Kolkata, the celebrations drew massive crowds.

"Today is the most important festival. Janmashtami is being celebrated in 1100 ISKCON temples... Devotees of ISKCON are celebrating Janmashtami with great pomp and show. Today we also observe fast...Arrangements for prasad have been made for everyone in all our ISKCON temples," he said.
Meanwhile, in Manipur's Imphal, devotees thronged the Shree Shree Govindajee Temple to offer prayers and participate in cultural programmes marking the birth of Lord Krishna.
HG Sadhubhusan Das, president of the temple, said the day carried immense spiritual significance. "Today we are very happy because it is the day of God's incarnation, his birthday. We pray and request that the people of Manipur serve the Lord, so that we can live happily... There are many other programs, and we are doing all these activities to please the Lord. May the Lord bless everyone. May he bring back peace to Manipur and make everyone happy," he said.
Lord Krishna's birth is observed on the Ashtami Tithi of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapad. While Janmashtami is celebrated across the country, Mathura and Vrindavan hold special significance -- Mathura being his birthplace and Vrindavan the place of his childhood leelas.
At midnight, special rituals are performed in temples, where the idol of Lord Krishna is bathed in milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee and water. During the Krishna Abhishek, bells ring, conch shells are blown, and Vedic hymns are chanted. (ANI)