श्रीकृष्ण जन्माष्टमी की बहुत बहुत बधाई.

A joyful celebration of Sri Krishna's birth

Janmashtami or Krishna Janmashtami is a religious festival celebrated by Hindus to commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna, whom the Hindus believe is an incarnation of their deity Vishnu, on the ashtami tithi according to the Hindu calendar. Devotees of Lord Krishna throng to the Sri Krishna temples to celebrate his birthday with enormous zeal. The celebrations start from midnight by offering special pujas, meditation, preparing sweets and donating alms to the poor. The celebration date of Janmashtami varies across India because of the beliefs and various astrological calculations. This year, Janmashtami 2011 will be celebrated on 22nd August in North India.

Lord Krishna or Sri Krishna is one of the highly revered deities of Hindus. On the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami, the temples and his sculptures are adorned ostentatiously by the ardent devotees with garlands and colourful lights that gives a festive look. Festivities start from midnight at Sri Krishna's birthplace Mathura in the state of Uttar Pradesh and devotees bath his idol with honey, curd, milk, turmeric while chanting hymns and reading messages of Lord Krishna from the Vedas. People also observe day-long fast and chant 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' at temples while spreading messages of love and peace. Furthermore, Rasa Lila are also organised based on the life of Sri Krishna in the regions of Mathura and Vrindavan to celebrate and mark the essence of the festivity.

'Little Krishnas' also dazzle on the occasion. Children dress themselves in fancy and colourful costumes resembling Sri Kirshna to celebrate Janmashtami with fervour.

ISKON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) celebrates Janmashtami at their respective temples in a remarkable way that begins with 'abhisheka' (coronation ceremony) in the morning and 'Jhulan Seva' throughout the day. ISKON devotees also carry out 'Padayatra' and sing religious songs and bhajans to pay their homage to Lord Krishna.

Janmashtami is celebrated with great joy and attachment across India under various names such as Dahi Handi in Mumbai and Pune, Krishna Janma in Manipur, Ashtami Rohini, Saatam Aatham and more. Celebration of Janmashtami or Krishna Janmashtami also marks the beginning of a string of festivities. People to commemorate the festivity send lovely and inspirational Janmashtami wishes to their friends, family members and dear ones. Customized and inspiring Janmashtami SMS is another popular medium to celebrate the religious festival and send wishes. An array of fascinating shubh Janmashtami SMSes are easily available online in varied languages with the provisions to edit the text to observe the auspicious occasion.