Kashmiri Pandit children dressed up as Krishna and Radha participate in the Janmashtami procession at Lal Chowk in Srinagar
Kashmiri Pandits took out a Janmashtami procession to celebrate the birthday of Lord Krishna after a gap of two years on Monday amid tight security arrangements.
The procession started from the Ganpatyar temple in the Habba Kadal area of the city and passed through Barbarshah, Kralkhud before reaching the clock tower at the historic Lal Chowk, officials said.
They said the procession crossed over the Amirakadal bridge, passed through the Jehangir Chowk and returned to the temple. The devotees, including men, women, and children, danced alongside the chariot and distributed sweets among people.
A senior citizen among the devotees said it was after two years that they were allowed to take out the Janmashtami procession in Srinagar. There was no procession in 2020 due to COVID-19 while the lockdown imposed in the wake of abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status in August 2019 had led to the cancellation of the event.
Mathura, on the other hand, saw an early morning gathering of devotees at the Sri Krishna Janmasthan. As the day progressed, the crowds swelled in Vrindavan where the festival was celebrated at three temples during the daytime. Hundreds of devotees attended the "abhishek" (bathing ceremony) of the deity at the Dwarkadhish temple. The ceremony at the Radha Raman temple lasted for over three hours as priests Padma Nabh Goshwami, Srivatsa Goshwami, Dinesh Chandra Goshwami and Om Goshwami jointly performed the rituals.
(With Agency inputs)
