Janmashtami, Krishna's birthday, will be celebrated in scores and scores of Krishna shrines all over India. And abroad, especially at ISKCON temples.
The day will be marked with performances of Rasleela, fasting, feasting and prayer. Presenting the best temples to head to, to experience the festival...
Krishna's capital, Kutch coast, is a char dham. Multitudes flock to this town of narrow streets & temples during Janmashtami. The 60-column main temple, dating back to 500 BC, is 5 storeys high, its majestic spire climbing a further 60 m into the sky.
The forest adjacent to the Yamuna was the stage for Krishna's youthful escapades -- cavorting with Radha, sporting with the cowherd girls (gopis), playing the flute. The Govind Dev temple is one of the oldest shrines in this area.
The coal-black-faced Krishna is a most loved image for Vaishnava Sindhis, Marwaris, Gujaratis. Called Shreenathji, he resides at the 17th century Nathdwara temple, 48 km from Udaipur, cared for lovingly by a crew of priests. Lakhs come for Janmashtami.
The 4-armed, lavishly-decorated Krishna, carved from pathalanjana shila, affectionately dubbed Gurvayurappan, is the most famous resident of the Kerala beach town. The shrine is one of the wealthiest in the state.
There are several legends how this attractive Krishna temple came to be in the 1200s. Hordes pay homage, through a window in the wall, to the richly-clad Krishna murtiat a temple on a tank, surrounded by 8 monasteries.
By the banks of the Yamuna at Mathura, on a stormy night at the beginning of time, Lord Krishna was born. Mathura is the land of the Krishna legend, dotted with holy spots, drawing Krishna devotees.