The city wore a festive look for Krishnashtami celebrations that commenced with pomp and gaiety to mark the birth of Lord Krishna on Monay. Krishna temples, social organisations and communities are gearing up for the festivities with programmes like mangala arati, jhulan seva, pot breaking ceremony, fancy dress competitions and other cultural events.
Devotees thronged Sri Krishna Mandir at Zilla Parishad Junction since morning for darshan. Arti and bhajan programmes were held in the evening. A heavy rush of parents was seen at the counter selling Krishna costumes and other festival paraphernalia outside the temple.
Celebrations began from August 13 at ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) on its Sagarnagar premises. On Monday, bhajans by Mayapur devotees, discourse in Telugu on Krishna Leela and a dance performance was held. On August 15, Mangala Arati will begin in the wee hours followed by ‘Darshan Arati’ and ‘Akhanda Harinama Sankirtan’. The main attraction this year is Radha Krishna’s special dress made with flowers from Bangalore and Kolkata and ‘vastra abhushan’ from Vrindavan, UP.
The Hare Krishna Movement Visakhapatnam will be celebrating Janmashtami at A S Raja Grounds, MVP Colony from August 15 morning till midnight. The celebrations will start with ‘abhishekam’ at 6.30 a.m. followed by mangala arati and darshan from 8.30 a.m. onwards. From 10 p.m. onwards the mahabhishekam will begin with 108 kalashaa. This year over 1 lakh devotees are expected to turn up at the venue to be a part of the festive celebrations.
Schools and colleges celebrated Janmashtami with colourful decorations and cultural programmes on Monday. GITAM University Institute of Management celebrated Sri Krishna Janmashtami with festive fervour on its campus. Around 200 management students in seven teams participated in the ‘Haldi Handi’ programme.
