Lord Krishna, one of the most famous God of Hindu religion, was born on the eight day (Ashtami) of the month of Shravana and on the Rohini Nakshatram. Janmashtami is the celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna. It is also called as Gokulashtami. Bhagvan Krishna was born at midnight between first and second day. During midnight actual festival begins by bathing lord’s idol with Panchamrit (a mixture of milk, ghee, oil, honey & gangajal) and then dressing him up with colorful cloths, flower decorations and swing the cradle. Devotees celebrate this event by singing songs in praise of the God and perform the aarti by blowing a conch (Shankh).
According to Puranas, Krishna is one of the avatars of lord Vishnu. The objective of his birth was to kill the King Kansa, his maternal uncle and to free his parents, King Vasudev and Devki, and the people of Mathura from the cruelty of King Kansa. With the fear of prophecy of Kansa getting killed by the eighth son Krishna, he threw Vasudev and Devki in prison. He then started killed all the newborns of the couple one by one. Then the eighth son Krishna was born. At the time of his birth many miracles occurred. Devki and Vasudev became unfettered, all the guards fell asleep and the prison gates opened. A heavenly voice blessed the child and asked Vasudev to take his son to his friend Nand and his wife Yashoda, who stayed in Gokul across the river Yamuna. On that rainy night the flooded river made its way for the father and son after Lord Krishna’s tiny foot touched the water. The Sheshnaag also came up to protect both of them from the heavy rainfall.
In Gokul, Yashoda had given birth to a baby girl. While Yashoda and her daughter were asleep, Vasudev quietly kept his son there and took back the baby girl to Mathura. When Kansa informed about birth of eighth child, he rushed to the prison to kill the infant. As soon as Kansa took the position to hit the child on stone, it flew up in the air and announced that his demolisher was born and in safe hands. Finally Kansa was killed by Krishna.
