People of coastal Karnataka gear up for Janmashtami

MANGALORE: For people in coastal Karnataka, Sri Krishna Janmashtami is not a mere festival of the birth of Lord Krishna, but a festival to share joy with lots of fun and entertainment. Janmashtami for Mangaloreans is incomplete without Mosaru Kudike and Hulivesha. Mosaru Kudike, is a festival similar to 'Dahi Handi' celebrated in Maharashtra and other parts of North India.

Every street in the city will be geared up to make the festival more ritualistic and also entertaining. While a section of the Hindu community with North Indian base celebrates Janmashtami on Thursday or Friday, majority of the people, who follow Tuluva Panchanga in the coast, celebrate it on September 8.

Kalkura Prathishtana president Pradeep Kumar Kalkura told TOI: "Here we follow the Souramana (solar) calendar of Taulava tradition. Accordingly, the Janmashtami will be celebrated in the region on September 8 and Vittla Pindi, another festival attached to the Ashtami on September 9. Most outsiders who are settled here follow the Chandramana (lunar) calendar and celebrate Ashtami on Thursday," he said.

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) and few other organizations celebrate Janmashtami and Mosaru Kudike this month. Sri Raghavendra Mithra Mandali will celebrate its 40th annual Mosaru Kudike festival here on August 9.

Krishna Consciousness Movement on Coconut Garden Road, Kadri Tollgate, here will celebrate Krishna Janmashtami at the Dr TMA Pai Convention Centre on Friday. The celebrations will start at 6pm and will last until 12 midnight.

The programme will comprise various poojas and aratis, abhisheka, jhulan utsav and discourse. The celebrations will end with maha mangalarti. Prasadam will be served to all the visitors.

Meanwhile, the Arya Samaj Road branch of Iskcon is organizing Sri Krishna Janmashtami at Devadiga Samaj Bhavan, Mannagudda, on Friday.

The programme includes darshan, arati, alankar pooja, rajbogh arati, sandhya arati, yoga, maha abhisheka of Sri Krishna-Balarama and discourse on the appearance of Lord Krishna. It will end with maha mangala arati with sankirtana at midnight.

In Udupi

Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt will celebrate a symbolic Chandra Manareethya Krishnashtami on August 9. Paryaya seer Sri Vishwa Vallabha Theertha Swamiji of Paryaya Sode Vadiraj Mutt will perform special pooja to Lord Krishna, the presiding deity of the temple and offer 'arghya'.