Eight is
the key number. Lord Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and was
born on the eighth day of the Shravan month, which is also known as Ashtami. The
famous Dwarkadheesh Temple in Mathura, which is believed to be the birth place
of Lord Krishna, is beautifully decorated with flowers on this day as thousands
of devotees plunge into the temple to offer their prayers to the lord. The
deity is bathed with milk, honey, curd and ghee on the day of Janmashtami that
last for half an hour.
Janmashtami
is celebrated by Hindus all over the world. The Indian Gujarati community of
Omdurman, a Diaspora which has a history of almost 170 years in Sudan, also
celebrates Krishna Janmashtami. This year the altar of Lord Krishna was very
well decorated. After the prayers the children of the community performed
dances to depict the life of Krishna. This was followed by Dahi Handa , an
earthen pot filled with buttermilk is tangled at a particular height. A human
pyramid was formed by young men in order to break the earthen pot . Dahi
Handa is celebrated to mark the playful nature of Lord Krishna as he steals
butter from his gopis (milkmaids). Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of
India had prohibited children below the age of 12 from participating in Dahi
Handi as they form huge human pyramids which has often turned fatal.
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