School children dressed as Hindu Lord Krishna take part in a function held ahead of "Janamashtmi" celebrations in the southern Indian city of Chennai

 School children dressed as Hindu Lord Krishna take part in a function held ahead of "Janamashtmi" celebrations in the southern Indian city of Chennai

 School children dressed as Hindu Lord Krishna take part in a function held ahead of "Janamashtmi" celebrations in the southern Indian city of Chennai

School children dressed as Hindu Lord Krishna take part in a function held ahead of "Janamashtmi" celebrations in the southern Indian city of Chennai

A visually impaired student breaks clay pot containing curd during celebrations on eve of Janmashtami in Mumbai.......

Devotees try to form a human pyramid to break a clay pot containing curd during the celebrations to mark the Hindu festival of Janmashtami in Mumbai.........

Janmashtami: Lord Krishna's Birth Anniversary Celebrated In India (Photos)......

India celebrated "Janmashtami" Friday, marking the birth of Hindu god Lord Krishna with fervor and joy across the country. Tiny tots dressed up as little Krishna and Radha, his consort, in colorful clothes and elaborate jewelry, participated with enthusiasm, adding color to the celebrations.
Krishnashtami, as it is also known, is an important festival of the Hindus and is widely celebrated with traditional ceremonies, fasting and recreational games and cultural events. Millions of people flock to Mathura, believed to be the birth place of Lord Krishna, and Vrindavan, where he grew up, to take part in the birthday celebrations.
The colorful festival has devotees visiting temples, offering prayers to the lord, fasting for the day and taking part in the cultural events. People decorate their houses with flowers and mango leaves, and scenes depicting the birth of Krishna are recreated using miniature dolls.
Dahi Handi or Mosaru Kudike competition is an integral part of the Janmashtami celebrations. It is a team sport where competing teams have to break an earthen pot filled with curd hung high on poles. The participants have to form a human pyramid to reach the pot and in some areas the pot is hung atop a pole that is greased with oil, preventing an easy climb.
Another attraction is fancy dress competitions and cultural events where children are dressed as little Krishnas and Radhas (incarnations of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi according to the Hindu mythology), recreating the scenes from their life.
Here is a glimpse of the celebrations held at different places in the country. ......
From
Palash

Celebrating Krishna's birthday with Ras Leela and Brij ki holi

As Krishna says, "I am seated in everyone's heart, and from me comes remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas."

The word Krishna carries a deep rooted magnetic effect with it. The gopis (cow-herd girls), the cowherd boys, Govinda's parents, cows, the plants and the insects were all under Krishna Murari's charm in Vrindavan. He is addressed as god and the ultimate truth. The supreme personality of god head, Kanha is one of the most mischievous gods in Indian mythology.

Today, Janmashtami is observed as Nand Lal's birthday. Also known as Krishnashtami, it is observed on eighth day of dark half of Krishna paksha in Bhadra month according to Hindu calendar. Roughly, it falls between mid August to mid September. Lord Krishna's birth is a festive event for Hindus and it is celebrated all over the country. However, the style of commemoration is region specific. The day is marked by imitating the mythological sequences from Krishna's life. Ras Lila, Dahi Handi, Uriadi and Jhaanki are popular ways of celebrating the day.

Lucknow too recreates Kanha's birth at Reserve Police Line and Iskon temple along with hundreds of temples decked in hangings. The grand setup at 35 Battalion of PAC in Mahanagar is set to recreate Krishna's life from Kansa killing sister Devki's offsprings, Kanha's birth in the prison, father Vasudeva relocating the new born from Mathura to Vrindavan, Krishna's fight with the devils and everything he did in his life. The act will portray it all.

Reserve Police Line will put up statues of Lord Krishna's acts like shepherding cows, stealing makhan, mother Yashoda scolding him, his frolics with gopis and portrayal of his might killing baddies like Pootna.

Artists from Vrindavan will perform cultural acts like Bharatnatyam and Brij ki holi. It is speculated that around 10,000 people will visit the Reserve Police Lines on the day.

School children dressed as Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha take part in celebrations on eve of Janmashtami in Jammu ....

Janmashtami, also known as Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is a Hindu festival marking the birthday of Lord Krishna. The festival is celebrated across the country with much pomp and splendor.

A woman blows a flute to check it before buying, near the Krishna Temple in Lalitpur (Reuters)

The festival is observed with Ras Lila and Dahi Handi celebrations for two days in the country.
Dramatic play Rasa Lila, which depicts the birth and life of Lord Krishna and his love for Gopika, is a special feature in this festival and is celebrated especially in the UP regions of Mathura and Vrindavan as well as Vaishnavism in Manipur.
Dahi handi, which is mostly celebrated in Mumbai and Pune, marks the mischievous and playful behaviour of Krishna.  According to Hindu mythology, Krishna along with his team of friends called govindas form a human pyramid to break a pot of butter hanging from an elevated rope.
Krishna is an avatar of god Vishnu. Lord Krishna's birthday is also known as Janmashtami, Sri Krishna Jayanthi, Gokulashtami. Krishna was born on the 8th day of the increasing phase of the moon, which in the Indian Calendar is known as "Ashtami". And with Janma meaning "birth", the day is celebrated as Janmashtami.
From
Palash
Bangladesh

Entrance to a house in Vrindavan, probably leading to Lord Krishna......

Entrance to a house in Vrindavan, probably leading to Lord Krishna

Beggars on the narrow streets of Vrindavan and Mathura are very common, as tourists prefer to give them money during religious festivals.......

Beggars on the narrow streets of Vrindavan and Mathura are very common, as tourists prefer to give them money during religious festivals..

Shops sell gulal (color powder) for taking inside the temple.....

I am almost an atheist, but that didn’t prevent me from making a trip to Vrindavan and Mathura, the holiest of holy places for Hindus all over the world. While idol worship and mantra chanting are not my cup of tea, the curiosity of the great Indian mythology, the Mahabharata is too powerful to resist. With Janmasthami (the birth event of Lord Krishna) just around the corner, I made a trip to these twin-towns , hoping to experience and capture the mega conglomeration of almost one million people that gather here every year..........

Supreme Court of birindabon

Irked over the insensitivity towards abandoned widows in Vrindavan, the Supreme Court on Friday said India was the only country where every day people distribute free food and water yet there are people who remain hungry.............

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/supreme-court-comes-to-rescue-of-vrindavan-widows/1/211726.html

Main gate of Banke Bihari temple, Vrindavan

Kinkaku-ji temple

Built sometime around 850 CE, the Prambanan temple complex in Indonesia is one of the world’s largest remaining Hindu legacies. The foundation rises 47 meters above the ground and it symbolizes the triumph of the Hindu religion in Indonesia. It has been added on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list in 1991.