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Jhoolan Mahotsav: Krishna devotees throng Vrindavan
by Brajesh Kumar Singh

          Vrindavan: A large number of Lord Krishna devotees are visiting various temples in Vrindavan in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. They throng the place to participate in the ongoing Jhoolan Mahotsav or Swing Festival. The month-long festival is celebrated during the auspicious Shravan month as per Hindus Almanac. It celebrates the mythological romance between Lord Krishna and Radha. A festive mood prevails across Vrindavan during the auspicious Shravan month, especially in all Hindu temples ahead of Janmashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, due to fall on September 4 (Tuesday). At various temples, specially decorated swings are captivating devotees. Visitors from different parts of the country and foreign tourists are also flocking to the city located 15 km from Mathura. Small idols of Krishna and Radha have been placed on swings heavily decorated with flowers and expensive jewellery. Devotees offer prayers and pull swings to display their affection to Lord Krishna. Chants of 'Jai Radhe Jai Krishna' (Hail Radha, Hail Krishna) invoking devotion for the deity reverberate in all temples here. Ritesh, a devotee, said: "The swing gives the essence of different aspects of the Krishna's life. I see the swing every year but every year, I get a different feeling, it's really divine." Earlier, the festival was celebrated with girls putting up swings on trees near their homes. But with the passage of time, the festivities have become limited to temples only, and celebrated in a symbolic form. Jaish Khandelwal, a priest, said: "We are trying to take out the tradition that has remained restricted within temples, to the people outside, by making them aware of our customs. We will take cue from old timers who have witnessed the festival celebrated in its original fervour. We want the new generation to be aware of it."

         A specially prepared swing at the Sanatan Godiya Temple finds a special mention being a big attraction here. The heavy use of silk embroidery and mirror work has fascinated everyone. This swing has been prepared by about 25 Orissa artists in an art form, particular to Orissa. It took them 19 years to complete it. Krishna is believed to have spent his youth in Vrindavan, playing pranks with maidens passing through the forests. According to Hindu mythology, Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the Preserver and one of the trinities of the Hindu pantheon, the other two being Brahma, the creator and Shiva, the destroyer. No other God in the Hindu pantheon, or for that matter in any other religion, is associated with so many romantic tales and so fully radiant with divinity as Sri Krishna. Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the eighth day of the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of the month of Shraavana in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatram is in ascendant. The Hindu calendar being lunar, these two events [the day being the eighth of the waning moon (Krishna-paksha Ashtami) and the Rohini Nakshatram being ascendent] may overlap for only a few hours. In such an event, the festival may be celebrated on different (but successive) days by different people, depending on their local or family traditions. The festival falls sometime in August or September of the Gregorian calendar. In 2006, Krishnashtami was celebrated on August 15 or August 16.
- August 27, 2007

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