Gorakhpur: The Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur is gearing up for a grand celebration of Sri Krishna Janmashtami on September 4, with Gorakshapeethadhishwar and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath scheduled to join the festivities.
The highlight of the celebration will come at midnight, when, amid the chanting of Vedic mantras, Yogi Adityanath will participate in the traditional birth ceremony of Lord Krishna and cradle the deity in his child form. A large number of devotees are expected to gather at the temple to witness the midnight rituals.
The celebrations will combine religious rituals, devotional music and activities for children. A special Sri Krishna Bal Roop Sajja competition, in which children will dress up as Krishna, will also be organised along with a devotional music programme.
Celebrations to Begin at 5 pm
The main programme at the Mahant Digvijaynath Smriti Bhawan will begin at 5 pm on Friday. The children’s Krishna costume competition will be followed by a bhajan sandhya.
According to Gorakhnath Temple chief priest Yogi Kamalnath, devotional performances at the Smriti Bhawan will continue until around 11.30 pm. During the programme, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will interact with devotees and children and distribute toys and chocolates among them.
At around 11.30 pm, the Gorakshapeethadhishwar will proceed to the sanctum sanctorum of the Gorakhnath Temple for the special worship ceremony. As the clock strikes midnight, the birth of Lord Krishna will be celebrated amid Vedic chanting and traditional rituals.
Following the ceremony, the child form of Lord Krishna will be placed in a cradle and rocked as part of the traditional celebration. Prasad will subsequently be distributed among devotees.
Children to Compete in Two Categories
The Krishna costume competition will be held from 5 pm to 7 pm at the Mahant Digvijaynath Smriti Bhawan.
Children will participate in two age categories — the Kanha category for children aged one to five years and the Gopal category for those aged six to eight years.
Registration will be conducted at the venue. Organisers have decided that not only the winners but all participating children will receive prizes, encouraging wider participation in the celebration.
The competition will be followed by the bhajan sandhya from 8 pm. Popular folk singer Rakesh Srivastava and his team will present devotional and cultural programmes at the Smriti Bhawan, while the Hanumant Cultural Institute will perform bhajans at the main temple.
Yogi’s Mathura Visit Adds to Janmashtami Festivities
The Chief Minister’s participation in the Gorakhpur celebrations comes during his two-day visit to Mathura and Vrindavan in connection with Janmashtami.
During the visit, Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to dedicate and lay the foundation stones for 229 development projects worth around Rs 1,051 crore in the Braj region.
The projects include the inauguration of 62 development works costing more than Rs 540 crore and the foundation stone laying for 167 projects estimated at over Rs 437 crore. Financial assistance exceeding Rs 72 crore will also be distributed among beneficiaries of the PM Awas Yojana (Urban) and CM Awas Yojana (Rural).
The Chief Minister will also distribute certificates, cheques and other benefits to beneficiaries of various government schemes.
Swami Haridas Auditorium to Be Inaugurated
As part of his Mathura-Vrindavan programme, Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the newly constructed Shri Swami Haridas Auditorium at the Gita Research Institute in Vrindavan.
The modern auditorium has seating capacity for around 1,000 people and is expected to serve as an important venue for cultural and devotional programmes.
The Chief Minister’s schedule also includes visiting a Pro-Poor exhibition, participating in a plantation drive, meeting saints and performing the Annaprashan ceremony for children. He will subsequently review the progress of projects being implemented by the Uttar Pradesh Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad.
Visit to Kanha Bhakti Stambh Marg
Yogi Adityanath will also inspect the newly developed Kanha Bhakti Stambh Marg in Vrindavan.
He is scheduled to attend the ‘Panchayat Aaj Tak’ programme in Vrindavan before visiting the devotional-themed route. Later, he will proceed to the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Veterinary Science University in Mathura, where he is scheduled to stay overnight.
Krishna Janmabhoomi Darshan and Gau Puja
On September 4, the Chief Minister will visit the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi complex in Mathura. His programme includes Gau Puja followed by darshan and special worship at the main temple.
With elaborate arrangements at the Gorakhnath Temple and a series of religious, cultural and development programmes in Mathura-Vrindavan, Janmashtami this year is set to bring together devotion, tradition and public celebrations across the state’s major Krishna pilgrimage centres.
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