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Ludhiana abuzz ahead of Janmastami celebration
As Janmashtami approaches, the city has been swept by festive fervor, with streets flooded with banners and hoardings marking the large-scale celebration of the festival.
As Janmashtami approaches, the city has been swept by festive fervor, with streets flooded with banners and hoardings marking the large-scale celebration of the festival.
Shopping spree in full swing
Ahead of the festival, the city streets have come alive with the abundance of makeshift stalls flooded with handmade decorative pieces, Krishna idols made up of brass, flutes, colourful fancy jhulas and designer Radha-Krishna attire for children.
Rishi, a shopkeeper near Govind Godham temple says that wooden swings sourced from Shahranpur, Vrindavan and few places of Gujarat remain high in demand.
This year, small sized ornate jholas adorned with colourful clothes and morpankh (peacock plumes) ranging from ₹150 to ₹1,500 are flying off the shelves.
He also said that designer clothes and mukuts (crowns) for Krishna made up of Silk with hand- made embroidery or gota work on it are selling like hot cakes.
Also, the trend of cotton made Krishna attire for children has gone up manifold in recent years. Parents largely buy these clothes for kids aged between three months to five years.
Manpreet, a two-year-old kid’s mother, said she liked to dress up her child in Krishna attire. She prefers yellow colour as it is associated with Krishna’s knowledge and wit.
Temples brace for grand celebrations
The city temples are also infused with high enthusiasm, leaving no stone unturned to mark the celebration of Krishna birth on a high scale.
Divyam Prabhakar, a member of the ISKCON temple’s managing team at Kailash Market, Civil Lines, shared that this year, due to the increasing number of devotees, the celebration has been moved to Guru Nanak Bhawan. The temple is expecting around 15,000 to 20,000 devotees and has planned eco-friendly decorations with marigolds, jasmines, and roses.
Cultural programmes, including plays, dramas, and kirtans performed by young volunteers, will be held from early Monday morning until midnight to honour Lord Krishna’s birth. Devotees will offer over 108 homemade food items as prasadam, and a langar will be organised under their Food for Life initiative to feed people from all walks of life.
Govind Godham is another shrine renowned for its Janmashtami celebrations, attracting over 1.5 lakh devotees from across Punjab.
Ashok Dhawan, a trustee of the temple, mentioned that this year’s theme revolves around white flowers and peacock feathers, symbolising peace and love. Artists from Delhi will perform kirtans and jhankis from 6 am to 12 pm throughout the day. Langar will be served eight times, with 56 different food items offered as prasad to Lord Krishna.
