Bangladesh: Hindu community celebrates Janmashtami at Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka

The Hindu community in Bangladesh on Friday celebrated Sri Krishna Janmashtami with religious fervour at the historic Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka with devotees gathering to mark the birth of Lord Krishna through prayers rituals and traditional festivitiesThe celebrations in Dhaka featured a major procession a longstanding part of the citys Janmashtami traditions Devotees and members of the Hindu community participated in the festivities preserving customs associated with the festival across generationsSpeaking to ANI Kajal Debnath former President of the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Committee said Janmashtami is observed by Hindus across the world and emphasised the importance of maintaining the festivals traditions in BangladeshJanmashtami is not for Bangladesh only all over the world its been celebrated We are celebrating Lord Krishnas birthday Debnath saidHe said the procession in Dhaka was particularly significant describing it as a very historic procession and stressing that the tradition has continued regardless of which political party is in power at the local levelWe are maintaining tradition no matter which political party the mayor may be Debnath saidDebnath also referred to remarks by Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on the principle that religious faith is a personal matter while festivals and the country belong to everyoneI would appreciate Prime Minister Tarique Rahman because we used to say in Bangla religion is personal but the festival belongs to everyone and religion is personal but the country belongs to everyone he saidHe added that Rahmans emphasis on security being a shared responsibility was also significant for the Hindu community while noting that the community expected such sentiments to be reflected in practiceJanmashtami which commemorates the birth of Lord Krishna is observed on the eighth day or Ashtami of the Krishna Paksha dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada according to the Hindu lunisolar calendarThe festival is traditionally marked by prayers devotional songs cultural performances tableaux fasting and midnight celebrationsThe festivities extended beyond Bangladesh with Hindu communities across South Asia observing the festival through distinctive regional traditionsIn neighbouring Nepal scores of devotees gathered at Kathmandus historic Krishna Mandir in the early hours with worshippers arriving from across the valley for darshan prayers and prasadThe temple premises witnessed long queues of devotees some arriving as early as 4 am as followers observed fasting and participated in traditional ritualsBhuvan Thapaliya a priest at the Krishna Temple told ANI that this years celebration was particularly significant because of the alignment of Janmashtami with the Rohini Nakshatra traditionally regarded as Lord Krishnas birth starAmong them Janmashtami the festival of Lord Shri Krishna is a very ancient Vedic tradition Just like our other major festivals Janmashtami is one of the most important Thapaliya saidHe explained that the festival falls on the Ashtami of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadra and is associated with the Rohini NakshatraThis year today is actually the day of the Rohini Nakshatra Today is the Lords actual birth star This year the alignment is perfect As the saying goes its like adding fragrance to gold It doesnt happen every year So this time it is very special the priest saidThe celebrations in Kathmandu came amid the gloom caused by recent flash floods in Nepal with the citys ancient temples providing a place of spiritual gathering for devoteesIn India devotees across the country also celebrated Krishna Janmashtami with temples and communities immersed in devotional activitiesIn Mathura regarded as the birthplace of Lord Krishna large numbers of devotees gathered for elaborate celebrations featuring decorations bhajans and traditional ritualsAt the Kadri Sri Manjunatha Temple in Mangaluru Janmashtami celebrations coincided with the 44th NationalLevel Childrens Festival and Sri Krishna Vesha Competition where children participated dressed in traditional Krishna attireIn Varanasi an elaborate tableau in the Jaitpura area combined religious heritage with contemporary development themes The display featured models of the upcoming city ropeway and Vande Bharat Express alongside representations of prominent temples and cultural landmarksThe tableau included depictions of Ayodhyas Ram Mandir Kanak Bhawan and Dasharath Mahal Indores Mahakaleshwar Temple Mathuras Banke Bihari Temple Varanasis Vishwanath Temple forts from Jaipur and temples from southern IndiaAcross the region Janmashtami celebrations highlighted the diversity of traditions associated with Lord Krishna with devotees coming together through temple rituals devotional music cultural programmes processions and community gatherings to mark the festivalThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or 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