Everything about the great Hindu festival JANMASTAMI:

According to Hindu scriptures this is the story of Lord Krishna’s birth is:
There came a time when Mother Earth was unable to bear the sins and cruelty committed by evil kings and rulers. Mother Earth then prayed to Lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe, to relieve her from these sinful kings. Lord Brahma prayed to the supreme Lord Vishnu for reincarnation and to relieve the Mother Earth from these evil rulers. Lord Vishnu accepted the request and assured to defeat tyrannical forces.

The ruler of Mathura, Kansa was one such evil king. He had a sister named Devaki, who was married to Vasudeva. The day Devaki and Vasudeva got married, a voice from the sky forecasted that Devaki's eighth son will bring an end to Kansa’s rule and will kill him.

Frightened Kansa held the couple. He then vowed that he will kill every child of Devaki and Vasudeva. Seeing their first seven children being killed by the cruel Kansa, the imprisoned couple feared giving birth to their eighth child. One night Lord Vishnu appeared before them. He told them that in the guise of their son, he will return and rescue them from Kansa's autocracy.

Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of God Vishnu is worshiped as a supreme God in Hinduism. Born in northern India (around 3,228 BCE), Lord Krishna’s life marks the passing of the Dvapara age and beginning of the Kal yuga (which is also considered as the current age). References to Lord Krishna can be found in several Hindu mythological books, especially in the epic Hindu book, the Mahabharata.

Lord Krishna is also described as an important figure in the Bhagavata Purana. This is another Hindu epic book that dates to the 10th century B.C. In the text, Lord Krishna is described as the charioteer for the warrior Arjuna who had guided him morally and gave military counsel to the leader.

The figure of Lord Krishna is depicted as having blue or blue-black skin. He holds a flute (bansuri) and sometimes accompanied by a cow or cowherd. Krishna is also known by many other names, such as Govinda, Madhusudhana, Vasudeva and Mukunda. In the books, he is also depicted as a child who performs playful pranks like stealing butter.

Krishna Janmashtami also known simply as Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. It is observed according to Hindu luni-solar calendar, on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in the month of Shrawana of the Hindu Calendar, which overlaps with August and September of the Gregorian calendar.

It is an important festival particularly to the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. Dance-drama enactments of the life of Krishna according to the Bhagavata Purana (such as Rasa lila or Krishna Lila), devotional singing through the midnight when Krishna is believed to have been born, fasting (upavasa), a night vigil (jagarana), and a festival (mahotsava) on the following day are a part of the Janmashtami celebrations. It is celebrated particularly in Mathura and Brindavan, along with major Vaishnava and non-sectarian communities found in Manipur, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other regions.

Krishna Janmashtami is followed by the festival Nandotsav, which celebrates the occasion when Nanda Baba distributed gifts to the community in honour of the birth.

Hindus celebrate Janmashtami by fasting, singing, praying together, preparing and sharing special food, night vigils and visiting Krishna or Vishnu temples. Major Krishna temples organize recitation of Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita. Many communities organize dance-drama events called Rasa Lila or Krishna Lila. The tradition of Rasa Lila is particularly popular in Mathura region, in northeastern states of India such as Manipur and Assam, and in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is acted out by numerous teams of amateur artists, cheered on by their local communities, and these drama-dance plays begin a few days before each Janmashtami.

MahesH Bhatt