Event

Krishna Janmashtami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

It usually falls in August or September, on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in the month of Bhadrapada according to the Hindu lunar calendar.

What it’s about:

• Birth of Krishna: Marks the night when Krishna was born over 5,000 years ago in Mathura to Devaki and Vasudeva.
• Victory of good over evil: His birth symbolized the end of the tyrant king Kansa’s cruelty.
  
  
• Devotion and celebration: People fast, pray, sing devotional songs, and reenact scenes from Krishna’s childhood (called Rasa Lila or Dahi Handi in some places).
  
  
• Midnight celebration: Because Krishna was born at midnight, temples are decorated, and at midnight an idol of baby Krishna is placed in a cradle and worshipped.