Krishna Janmashtami 2022: Date, History & All About the Grand Celebration of Lord Krishna’s Birth
Shri Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm across the country. According to the Puranas, Lord Krishna was born on the Ashtami of Bhadrapada month as the eighth child of Mata Devaki in the prison of Asura Raj Kansa in Mathura city. Lord Krishna was born at midnight. He is believed to be the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Most people keep fast on the day of Janmashtami. It is believed that Janmashtami fast is the best among all the fasts. By fasting on this day, the devotees are believed to get their desired results.
Know when is Krishna Janmashtami 2022, its worship method and auspicious remedies here.
Krishna Janmashtami 2022 Date and Muhurta
-Date: 18th and 19th August 2022
-Muhurta for puja: August 19 from 12:03 am to 12:47 am
-Worship Duration: 44 Minutes
-Ashtami starts: 18th August 2022 at 9.20 pm
-Ashtami ends: 19th August 2022 till 10.59 pm
How is Krishna Janmashtami Celebrated in India?
Krishna Janmashtami is a very important festival for Hindus and they keep fast on the same day. The devotees break their fast on the next day. They also worship Lord Krishna by singing songs and doing an aarti of the Lord. Some shlokas of the Lord are also sung by the devotees. The idol of Krishna is decorated with new sparkling clothes, mukut and other jewellery. Also, to celebrate this day many Hindu temples are decorated with lights and flowers. A host of bhajans and kirtans take place in the temples. Many temples and devotees of Lord Krishna perform the dance and drama of Lord Krishna’s life. Even the schools observe this auspicious festival by dressing the small children in Lord Krishna’s avatar and various dance performances take place.
Dahi Handi is a highlight of the Janmashtami festival in India. The event commemorates an incident from Hindu mythology in which the young Krishna breaks a pot of curd hung high up out of his reach. To reenact this, a pot of curd is hung from a rope at a height and teams of young men compete to break it by forming human pyramids. The event is great fun to watch and the successful team is often rewarded with prizes. Dahi Handi is just one of the many ways in which Janmashtami is celebrated across India. From feasts and fasting to special temple rituals, there are plenty of ways to join in the festivities and honour the birth of Krishna.
Janmashtami, which is also known as Krishna Janmashtami is an annual festival that is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna. Generally, this festival falls in the month of August or September, and in the Hindu calendar, it is observed on the eighth date (Ashtami) of Bhadrapada Masa.
Lord Krishna is also believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and he is one of the most powerful Gods in Hinduism. The birthplace of Krishna is said to be Mathura and therefore, Mathura is also known as Krishna Bhumi. Janmashtami is also one of the most important festivals in Hinduism where many kinds of dance, drama, songs, etc. are organized and the festival is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm.
History
In many Hindu texts, it has been mentioned that Lord Krishna came to this world to save it from evil beings. He is also considered the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu and the story of his birth has been beautifully mentioned in some of the famous Hindu texts such as the Bhagwad Gita and Bhagwad Puran. Lord Krishna was born on Ashtami i.e. the eighth day of the dark fortnight during the Bhadrapada month.
He was the son of Devaki and Vasudeva but the uncle of Lord Krishna, Kansa wanted to kill him as he knew that Krishna would somebody be the cause of his death. However, after the birth of Lord Krishna, Vasudev saved his son by taking him to some other place. Ever since the birth of Krishna, the eighth day of Bhadrapada month is called Krishna Paksha and celebrated as Krishna Janmashtami.
Significance
This festival is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna who is the destroyer of evil and one of the most powerful Gods in Hinduism. In Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna himself has said that whenever there will be the rise of adharma, he will be born again to destroy it and save dharma. The significance of this festival lies in the fact that it is a reminder to encourage good deeds and togetherness, and put faith in humanity and righteousness.
How is Janmashtami celebrated?
Many Hindus celebrate this festival by keeping fast, singing, organizing prayers, preparing special kinds of food, visiting temples, and narrating the tales of Lord Krishna to each other. At many places, Krishna Leela which is a kind of dance-drama event is also organized. People also decorate their houses, make rangoli, put on lights, and wear new traditional clothes.
Dahi Handi during Janmashtami:
The next day after Janmashtami is celebrated by organizing a special event known as Dahi Handi. In most of the stories about Lord Krishna, he has been called Makhan Chor, and therefore, this event is organized where a pot is hung on a rope at a certain height and people in groups climb over one another to reach the handi(the pot) and break it.
Fasting
Women draw tiny footprints on the floor of their house to show that the Lord has walked into the abode and showered his blessings on its inhabitants. On the day of Janmashtami, devotees also hold fast that can be broken only when Ashtami Tithi and Rohini Nakshatra are over the next day. This is the nirjala fast. Devotees may also decide upon a phallar fast during this period and eat only fruits and light sattvik food.
Main Puja
At Nishita Kal or midnight, the main ritualistic puja is performed. There are sixteen steps in total which are a part of the Shodashopachara Puja Vidhi. Bhajans and Kirtans dedicated to the Blue God are sung throughout the midnight as people keep a ratri jagaran (night vigil). Some people visit the temple of Lord Krishna or Vishu to offer prayers while others do the puja in their homes.
Dahi Handi
One of the spectacles of the celebration is Dahi Handi, an event that narrates the story of young Krishna as Makhanchor. Handi or an earthen pot is filled with white butter, ghee, dry fruits, and milk. It is then hung with ropes at some height from the ground. As people gather around it to witness the moment, the young boys in the locality would form a human pyramid, climb up to the Handi and break it.
Ras Leela
Ras Leela is yet another happening episode of the celebration. Often youngsters would get involved in preparing skits and through dance-drama, they would portray the chronicles of Krishna’s life. As throngs of people get enraptured by the play sitting in the audience, for the young performers, this becomes one of the most enjoyable moments during Janmashtami.
