Janmashtami 2022 Live Celebrations: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde takes part in Dahi Handi celebrations

Janmashtami is being celebrated all over the country in full swing. In a video shared by the official Twitter handle of ANI, a temple in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu can be seen celebrating Janmashtami with puja offerings to lord Krishna. Devotees can be seen thronging the temple in queues and bhajans being sung while the Janmashtami puja commences.

Shilpa Shetty’s Janmashtami wish for her fans came gift-wrapped in a super sweet Instagram reel featuring son Viaan and daughter Samisha. In the video, the siblings can be seen dressed as lord Krishna and Radha. In the video, little Viaan can be seen perched up on one person and breaking the clay pot – a common ritual during Janmashtami, known as Dahi Handi. “Haathi Ghoda Paalki. Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki. Gokulashtami ki shubhkaamnayein, aapko aur aapke poore parivar ko,” read Shilpa’s Janmashtami wish.

What is a better way to celebrate lord Krishna's birth anniversary than relishing on home-made makhan - the lord's favourite dish - with friends and family? Super easy to make at home, white butter needs only milk and water to be whipped up into a delicious dish. Know about about white butter's recipe here.

Janmashtami is the celebration of lord Krishna's birth anniversary. From Mathura to Kolkata to Hyderabad, devotees have been gathering in large crowds in various temples of the country to celebrate the auspicious day. Devotees celebrate the day by decking up in new clothes and enacting dance drama based on lord Krishna's life. They also sing bhajans in praise of lord Krishna.

Dahi Handi celebrations are one of the main attractions of Janmashtami. Every year, Dahi Handi celebrations take place with a whole lot of grandeur and pomp all over the country. This year, Surat, Gujarat witnessed huge crowd on account of Dahi Handi celebrations. A short clip of the celebrations and the human pyramid reaching the clay pot and breaking it was shared by the official Twitter profile of ANI. Watch the video here.

Hrithik Roshan wished his fans on Twitter with a small animation clip of lord Krishna playing the flute with the background score from his 2006 film Krrish, while sitting amidst clay pots filled with makhan, curd and other milk-based food items. With the clip, he wrote a heartfelt wish for his fans in Hindi, which loosely translates to - “Many wishes of Shri Krishna Janmashtami.” On this auspicious day, several celebrities have taken to their social media profiles to extend their greetings to their Instagram and Twitter families.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde takes part in Dahi Handi celebrations in Ghatkopar, Mumbai on the occasion of Janmashtami. Shinde on Thursday had announced that Dahi Handi would be considered as an official sport in Maharashtra and Pro Dahi Handi competitions will be introduced in the state.

Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor looks lovely in orange as she waves at and interacts with her fans during Dahi Handi festival held in Thane in the presence of Mumbai’s Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Lord Krishna devotees can witness Shri Krishna Janmashtami celebrations at ISKCON Bangalore at 9pm onwards. Few hours to go.

Krishna Janmashtami is marked on Ashtami Tithi of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapad in India. This year, the Ashtami Tithi began at 9:21 pm on August 18 and will end at 10:59 pm on August 19, 2022. This is why Janmashtami is being celebrated on both days. Additionally, according to the Vedic Panchang, Krishna Janmashtami falls on two consecutive days.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai visited the Lord Balaji temple in Tirumala Tirupati of Andhra Pradesh on Friday with former chief minister BS Yediyurappa on the occasion of Janmashtami. He also took to Twitter and wrote, "Had darshan of Lord Sri Venkateswara in Tirumala today on the holy day of Sri Krishna Janmashtami along with former Chief Minister and Member of Central Parliamentary Board @BJP4India @BSYBJP Revenue Minister @RAshokaBJP, BDA President @SRVishwanathBJP and others were present on the occasion."

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis attended the Dahi Handi celebrations in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, on the occasion of Janmashtami today, August 19. The pictures were posted by the Twitter handle of ANI. Like Thane, the Dahi Handi rituals in Ghatkopar are also considered to be equally famous. Thousands throng Thane during Janmashtami to celebrate with songs and dance, as Govindas form human pyramid to reach the clay pot filled with butter, curd and other milk-based food items.

There are a few rules that one should keep in mind while fasting on Janmashtami. First, the devotees should wake up early in the morning, take a bath and wear new clothes. One should also donate food and clothes as it's believed to bring positivity and prosperity and never hurt animals. Additionally, consuming satvik bhojan without garlic and onion, avoiding drinking tea or coffee or alcohol, and removing non-vegetarian food from the diet are also advised. Read details here. 

On the occasion of Janmashtami, Sadhguru took to Twitter to wish his followers and explained what it means to be ‘touched by the consciousness that we refer to as Krishna’. Sandhguru tweeted, “If we want to be touched by the consciousness that we refer to as Krishna, we need Leela, the path of the playful. Without playfulness, you shall not know what it means to be conscious. #Sadhguru Quotes #Janmashtami."

The Krishna Janmashtami celebrations also involve enjoying delicacies, especially mouth-watering sweets. However, some of us don't have the time to whip up dishes that involve lengthy recipes. So, here is a simple and fun Besan ki Barfi recipe to sweeten up your Janmashtami celebrations by Chef Kunal Kapur. You will only need a few ingredients like Besan, Ghee, Turmeric, Cardamom powder, Sugar, and chopped Pista. Read the instructions here.

Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor arrived in Thane to attend the Dahi Handi celebrations today, August 19. A paparazzi page shared Shraddha's video on Instagram. The Dahi Handi celebrations in Thane are regarded as one of the most spectacular Dahi Handi festivities in Mumbai city. The ritual is celebrated here with zest and devotion during the Janmashtami festivities. Moreover, there is fitting music to liven up the celebrations.

British prime ministerial hopeful Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, visited a temple on the occasion of Janmashtami. “Today I visited the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple with my wife Akshata to celebrate Janmashtami, in advance of the popular Hindu festival celebrating Lord Krishna’s birthday,” Sunak said in a tweet. 

Devotees of Lord Krishna across the country marked Janmashtami by visiting prominent temples of the deity and seeking his blessings. In Hyderabad, devotees paid a visit to the ISKCON temple, many people participated in a Krishna Janmashtami procession in Kozhikode. Pictures of Kashmiri Pandits celebrating Janmashtami at Ganpatyar temple in Srinagar also went viral on social media.

The British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis paid a visit to the ISKCON temple and offered prayers on the occasion of Janamashtami today. He told ANI, "I am honoured to visit the ISKCON temple on this auspicious day. I wish everyone on Janamashtami. UK and India have an excellent relationship."

Devotees of Lord Krishna thronged the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami today, August 19. Pictures from the temple were shared by ANI on Twitter. 

Rahul Gandhi wished citizens of the country on the auspicious occasion of Krishna Janmashtami. He tweeted, "Happy Janmashtami to all the countrymen, I wish that the blessings of Lord Shri Krishna remain on everyone."

Lord Krishna's devotees are observing a fast on the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami today, August 19. If you are keeping a vrat, then you should break the fast on August 20 at an auspicious time - after the completion of Ashtami Tithi. Some people also end the fast by worshipping Bal Gopal at night. You can follow either tradition.

Fasting time - August 19, after 10:59 pm

Vrat Parana Time - After 05:45 am on August 20

Janmashtami and Dahi Handi celebrations take place all over the country with a lot of grandeur and pomp. Here's a list of temples and cities, including the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, Shri Krishna Temple in Udupi and Guruvayur Temple in Kerala, where you can watch and experience the festivities on a grand scale. 

Kajal Aggarwal marked the auspicious festival of Janmashtami by dropping a picture with her four-month-old son, Neil Kitchlu. Kajal wrote, "Happy 4 months to the love of my life #NeilKitchlu and happy Krishna Janmashtami to all ! #krishnajanmashtami #happybirthdaysrikrishna."

Bollywood celebrities are extending best wishes to their fans on the auspicious occasion of Krishna Janmashtami. From Amitabh Bachchan to Ajay Devgn, Kangana Ranaut and Shilpa Shetty, here's what stars have posted on social media.