Krishna Janmashtami

History

Janmashtami is the day to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna is the eight incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Every year in India, people celebrate Janmashtami with lot of fervor and enthusiasm. There is lot of enjoyment and merrymaking with lots of Janmashtami activities. One of the most popular is the breaking of dahi handi or the butter pot. We all know about Janmashtami celebrations, so let us know about the Janmashtami history. Janmashtami history dates back to thousand years. People have come to know about the different legends of Janmashtami through scholars and other elderly people. It is believed that Lord Krishna was born for killing Kansa and other demons, to free the earth from all sources of evil, to spread the message of brotherhood and to aid Arjun (one of the Pandavas) during the epic battle of Kurukshetra. Some scholars and historians tell us that it was due to the extreme tyranny of King Kansa and other demons that Lord Vishnu decided to take birth on the earth in human form. Hence, Lord Krishna was born. Legends have it that people of Mathura were suffering under the rule of Kansa. He had put his father King Ugrasen in prison and declared himself to be the King. However, he was very cruel. One day, the heavenly voice declared that he would be killed by one of the children of his sister Devaki. Since then, Kansa became insecure and planned to kill all the children of Devaki and Vasudeva. But all his efforts failed and ultimately King Kansa was killed. On the day of Janmashtami, people bathe the baby Krishna and perform elaborate and grand Janmashtami pooja. On this day, Lord Vishnu is invoked to bestow us with good luck and prosperity; to fulfill all our wishes. Besides, the historical background of Janmashtami tells us that Lord Krishna loved milk and milk products. Hence, people prepare delicious delicacies on this day especially from milk, butter and curd.