Janmashtami 2023: Festive guide to celebrate Krishna's birthday in Mumbai

Palna at homeJanmashtamI is the day that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna and so on this day a tiny cradle also called palna is decorated with a lot of gusto The cradle is usually made of wood or in some cases it has a metallic finish with meenakari embellishments It is in such cradles that laddu Gopal baby Krishna idols are placed and the cradle is rocked at midnight of Janmashtami symbolically marking the birth of KrishnaThe palna is decorated using fresh flowers fresh or artificial flower torans or decorative laces If you havenrsquot gotten a chance to figure out what to use to decorate it fret not we have got you covered Try these options Option 1 Using the fabric glue stick golden cloth laces across the palna so that the wooden part is not visible Add decorative flowers and cherry branches every few inches on the lace to complete the look Opt for goldcoloured fabric as it adds to the overall festive look Option 2 Take 50 dry cotton wicks that are circular at the base On one patch of the palnarsquos wooden area use industrial glue to stick four wicks together in a way that it forms a cross You can also take six wicks Now at the centre stick a red midsized bindi This makes it an interesting motiflooking piece Repeat this on the entire palna Option 3 Fresh flowers are a great way to decorate the cradle You can use cellotape to stick red roses If you arenrsquot keen on a flowersonly theme you can use strings to tie fresh white mogra gajra or flower veni that are easily available in the markets Try buying veni pieces that are made of different coloured wool for a vibrant lookCelebrate the Mathura wayMathura the birth place of Krishna sees Janmashtami celebrations on a huge scale Locals who are ardent devotees of Krishna and Yamuna river celebrate the fest at home in their own way Anil Chaturvedi a Mathura resident and a priest gives us a lowdown on how he and his family ring in the festivitiesGhats of the Yamuna river at Mathura Pic courtesyWikimedia CommonsldquoIn Mathura and in my family we celebrate Janmashtami with a lot of fanfare We consider this occasion more important than any other event in our lives Itrsquos more important than even our childrenrsquos birthdays as the Lord took birth here in the pure lands of Mathura For generations we have been following the traditions of palna decoration that we rock at midnight as a mark of respect and as an announcement that Krishna has taken birthWe play the dhol nagada at midnight as thatrsquos when He was born We place the laddu Gopal idol on cucumbers that we place on small bedding on the cradle as we believe he was born around kheera cucumbers We then proceed to do a panchamrut abhishek bath Panchamrut is a mixture of milk curd ghee honey and sugar and this is followed by an aartiAll of this happens while everyone in the family is singing and chanting bhakti songs of Lord Krishna Itrsquos what we call in Mathura a mahautsav grand celebration The following morning we serve an elaborate feast to Krishna which include dishes like butter moong dal puri rice sweets made of pure ghee and almonds rajgira roti pista barfi and dried fruits My grandmother used to make bhog dishes then my mother started doing it and now I help the family to preparerdquoChandrakalaThis is a traditional dessert that reflects all the things that Krishna loved mdash butter sugar and sweetIngredientsFor the outer coveringgtgt 18 tsp salt gtgt 1 cup maida gtgt 2 tbsp homemade clarified white butter makhan gtgt Oil to deep fryFor the sugar syrupgtgt 34 cup sugar gtgt 12 cup water gtgt 4 strands saffron optionalFor inner stuffinggtgt 34 cup khoya homemade mawa gtgt 2 tablespoon finely powdered sugar gtgt 12 tsp cardamom powder gtgt 2 tbsp chopped almonds and pistachioMethodIn a bowl mash khoya thoroughly and add chopped almonds and pistachios cardamom powder and powdered sugar Mix well and keep it aside To prepare the dough take maida in a bowl and add salt white clarified butter makkhan and mix well Pour water little by little while mixing the dough till the dough is ready Ensure that the dough consistency is not too smooth or too hard It should be similar to the dough used while to make parathas Set aside to rest To make the sugar syrup on a stove place a pan and add water sugar and saffron strands On medium flame boil until it reduces and forms a sticky syrupEnsure that this syrup is not too watery Set aside Now knead the dough again and make sure it is smooth and not crumbly Roll the dough into thin sheets of the same size The size can be as large as a regular puri Add 2 tsp of the khoya stuffing one side of this sheet and fold from the sides by pressing the edges Repeat this with the rest of the sheets to make the raw dough chandrakala On a stove place a deep pan and heat the oil Once the oil is hot deep fry the raw dough chandrakala pieces till they are light golden brown Repeat this for all the pieces In the bowl of warm sugar syrup dunk the pieces for a few minutes and keep it aside Garnish them with finely powdered sugarRecipe courtesy Home chef Madhavi Modha of Annapurna Bakery and Cookery ClassFestive feastingWant to try some delicious Janmashtami special delicacies Check these optionsgtgt Ranjan MistriOrder lip smacking makkhan kaju mesub boondi and panjari Call 8879520664 gtgt Ranjan MashruPick from some 100plus sweets like tirangi mehsub with dry fruits ghugra mawa baati manmanohar laddu kaju pista roll badam mesub and ghevar Call 8779222169gtgt Anand Kumar MukhiyajiYou can order delicious mohanthad jalebi toprapak mathadi and thor Call 983356580gtgt Parsi Dairy FarmTry the delicious sutarfeni sweet curd jalebi and kesari barfi this festive seasonCall 67752222 gtgt Tewari Bros MithaiwalaTheir bestsellers include motichoor laddoo mohanthal mawa barfi and dry fruit laddooLog on to Zomato