Once upon a time... on the tithi of ashtami (eight day of the Hindu lunar calendar), at the stroke of midnight, a child with wonderful lotus-petal eyes and divine aura brightly illuminated His birthplace with His natural effulgence. Behind barricades and bonded in chains, His parents, Vasudev and Devki could not help but bow their heads in reverence. For they knew, Baby Lord Vishnu or 'Krishna' had appeared on this mortal planet. They had just been blessed. An entire human kind, had just been blessed...

That very tithi of ashtami got etched as the festival of Krishna Janmashtami in the Hindu calendar, celebrated every year and this year -- it's today!

Yes. It is Lord Krishna's happy birthday today!

Festivities are spread over two days, the first day mainly includes fasting, singing bhajans and recital of stories while the second day comprises of 'breaking the butter pot or mutki phod on the streets in His remembrance. Underlying all these celebrations, however, are prayers... asking Him for His benevolence and wisdom for the entire family, for our own selves and for all our near and dear ones.

Thus, on this special occasion, My Yatra Diary... joins in the celebrations by going back in time and flipping some of its pages to (re)visit Lord Krishna and bring Him, through His stories, back to life! Presented below are links to archived articles accompanied with snippets and one picture, each as a page telling a tale from the many glorious chapters of Lord Krishna's life. Hope you enjoy reading them.

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"A mosaic depicting the butter thief prank (makhan chori leela) of mischievous child Krishna."
River Yamuna flowing at the Brahmand Ghat, Mathura - Uttar Pradesh (1)
"... along the banks of the river Yamuna is another sacred spot - the Brahmand Ghat. This is the spot where an infant Lord Krishna had shown the entire universe or Brahmand in his mouth to His mother Yashoda. That is how the place came to be known as the Brahmand Ghat."
Deer park in Raman Reti, Gokul-Mathura,Uttar Pradesh
"True to its name, it is filled with sand (reti) and is reminiscent of the past when Lord Krishna would frequent here along with His brother Balarama and cowherd friends to indulge in leisurely plays (raman). It is also the place where He would meet His love, Radha before leaving for Vrindavan together."

Divine image of Mother Yasoda with Lord Krishna at the ISKCON temple Delhi

"Maiya Mori, Main nahi makhan khayo"
(Mother, I did not steal the butter)


Market Lane of Dwarkadheesh Temple, Mathura

"The haveli is a two storey house and there is a wide and a spacious courtyard loaded with pilgrims assembled from various parts of the country on the ground level."

Believers doing shraddha at the Yamuna River Ghat, Mathura

"It is a place of different vibrational frequencies where some hundreds of believers, assembled at the same place, coming from different walks of life, belonging to different economic stratus of society, rooting in different cultures and traditions; speak the very same language – the language of love for the divine – the very language that dissolves all physical boundaries and sends out the universal message of inner peace."
Tulsi - An eternal associate of Lord Krishna, ISKCON Temple Vadodara

"Talk of devotees of Lord Krishna and the one name that suddenly springs to mind is that of Tulsi Devi. According to Hindu scripture, Skanda Purana: Tulsi is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing this tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the Tulsi tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuntha (the eternal abode) world."

Cow: An animal much dear to Lord Krishna
at Kannur Kerala

Cow grazing at Trichambaram temple, Kannur- Kerala
"Also known as Gopal or the cowherd boy, Lord Krishna adored cows. Thus, one can find gaumata (in Hinduism, cow is revered as a mother) or cows happily grazing around in most of the Krishna temples today."
 
Khatu Shyam Temple in Rajasthan
"Inside the temple, the idol is enshrined in the form of only a head which makes the temple one of its kind in the country. The remaining part below the head is covered with garlands and flowers. It is believed to be a wish granting temple."
Beautiful idols of the Brothers - Lord Krishna on the right and Lord Balarama to His left at ISKCON Temple, Jaipur
"The deities of the two brothers, Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama are very beautifully decorated and depicts the loving bond shared between them."

ISKCON Temple, Delhi

Image of Sri Gaura Nitai at the ISKCON temple Delhi
"Circular in shape, the temple is very beautiful, decked up with Krishna leelas at the ceiling. The arti was about to begin."

ISKCON Hare Rama Hare Krishna Temple, Tokyo - Japan

Main deities of Radha and Krishna at the ISKCON temple, Japan
"The priest lighted the prayer lamp motioning the commencement of the afternoon arti (prayer). The beautifully decorated Radhe Krishna deity shimmering in bright glow and glimmer blessing its devotees was now clearly visible."

And, last but not the least...
Here's an exclusive page for all of you.

Lord Shri Krishna at home temple, Krishna Janmashtami celebrations

... From the temple of my house and featuring none other than our very own birthday boy, Ladoo Gopal all decked up in His brand new dress and finest ornaments for the night prayers to be followed up later by the home made feast or the bhog.
Jai Shri Krishna!