Bhubaneswar: It is that time of the year when people gear up to welcome baby Krishna to their homes and the temples are all decked up to celebrate the annual Hindu festival Janmashtami marking the birth of Lord Krishna.
Janmashtami is celebrated annually on the eighth day of Krishna Paksha (the waning phase of moon) during the month of Bhadrapada in the traditional Hindu calendar.
Rituals begin at midnight by offering sweets to Lord Krishna. Devotees observe fast and offer prayers to the Lord. They decorate their houses with flowers, lights and rangolis on Janmashtami. Special milk-based food is made as offerings to Nand Gopala, as Krishna is known as in his childhood.
Many Indian states observe Krishna Janmashtami as a gazetted holiday. To celebrate the day, Krishna temples are decorated, processions are taken out, and host of bhajans and kirtans take place. In Odisha, Puri Jagannath Temple and ISCKON temple in Bhubaneswar witness the highest footfalls.
