Bhubaneswar: The people of Odisha Sunday celebrated Janmashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Shree Krishna, with religious fervour and gaiety.
Devotees in large numbers thronged Lord Krishna temples across the state including ISKCON temple, Sri Jagannath temple and Sakhigopal temple in Puri, Ananta Basudeva temple and Ram Mandir at Bhubaneswar, Khirachora Gopinath temple at Remuna and Neela Madhava temple at Kantilo from early morning.
Special arrangements were in place for the morning puja.
Lord Krishna appeared in Mathura on this day. His wonderful ‘Raas Leela’ with the gopis reaches its climax when he enacts it with his beloved Radha. The display of flute by Lord Krishna is melodious bringing the world together. On hearing it, nature as a whole experiences a spiritual thrill. Gopis followed him with abandon. The reason being, Lord Krishna’s love for Radha was supreme, eternal and unconditional.
Astrologically, the Moon entered the house of Taurus in Rohini Nakshatra in the month of Sravana when Lord Krishna appeared. He is the epitome of spiritual love and it is believed that influence of Venus is most strong on Janmashtami.