‘NAND GHAR ANAND BHAYO, JAI KANHAIYA LAL KI’—JANMASHTMI CELEBRATED AT BADI MATHIA

‘NAND GHAR ANAND BHAYO, JAI KANHAIYA LAL KI’—JANMASHTMI CELEBRATED AT BADI MATHIA

17-AUG-ENG 15

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------The festival of Sri Krishna Janmashtami was celebrated with faith, gaiety and traditional reverence at Badi mathia today and other parts of Bhojpur disttrict. The atmosphere from village to city was filled with devotion with the deafening chants of “Nand Ghar Anand Bhayo, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki”. Huge crowds of devotees gathered in temples and the birth anniversary of naughty Kanha was celebrated with gaiety in every home.

A grand event was organized at Badi Mathia, Ara in which Mahanth Ram Kinkar Das Jee Maharaj and Manath Ayodhya Nath Das Jee Maharaj were present. The program started with worship and bhajan-kirtan.

On this occasion, both the Mahaths and the Pujari of the temple performed aarti of Lord Krishna along with hundreds of devotees who were present in the temple. The entire campus reverberated with the sound of conches and bells, shower of flowers and melodious waves of bhajans. Women and children presented devotional songs, which made the atmosphere even more emotional. Traditional splendor prevailed in every village

Janmashtami was celebrated in rural areas as well. Children dressed up as Shri Krishna and Radha and decorated tableaux. Women sang auspicious songs throughout the night and preparations for Shri Krishna's birth continued in every house. Janma Aarti was performed in temples at 12 midnight. Youths in villages organized Matki-Phod competitions, in which a lot of enthusiasm was seen. Villagers distributed prasad to each other on this occasion and shared the happiness of the festival.

Crowds thronged the major temples of the city. Grand decorations were done at Radha-Krishna temple, Shivala temple, Gopal temple and other religious places in Hardoi city. Devotees kept coming and going till late night in the temples decorated with electric lights and flower garlands. As soon as the voice of “Kanhaiya Janme” resounded at midnight, a wave of happiness ran among the devotees. Women sang bhajans to the beat of dholaks and cymbals, while the youth made the atmosphere more cheerful by dancing to the tune of drums.

The police administration remained fully alert to ensure that there is no chaos on the festival of Janmashtami. Additional police force was deployed at major temples and crowded places. The traffic police kept a special watch on the routes leading to and from the city.

From the city to the village, devotees were seen drenched in devotion everywhere. Bal Gopal swinging on a swing was worshipped in every house and the family members were immersed in the Sri Krishna Janmotsav with full devotion.

The festival of Janmashtami was celebrated without any hindrance in the entire district and only one voice echoed everywhere—“Nand Ghar Anand Bhayo, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki…”