Amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Mathura's well-known Krishna Janmabhoomi temple on Sunday geared up to celebrate Janmashtami.
The temple witnessed a huge gathering of devotees who came to offer prayers on the eve of Lord Krishna's birthday and there were security arrangements to avoid flouting of Covid-19 guidelines.
Earlier on Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Mukul Goel issued guidelines for the celebrations of Janmashtami in the state. The social distancing and wearing of masks are made mandatory for all the devotees visiting the temples.
Many people also gathered at Yamuna ghat in Mathura to celebrate the festival and expressed their happiness to be able to visit Lord Krishna's birthplace on his birthday.
"I couldn't visit Mathura for two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. I am very happy to be here after a long time. We plan to visit Vrindavan and Gokul too," said a devotee Preet Parekh who came from Rajkot in Gujarat to offer prayers for Janmashtami with his family.
Another devotee praised the Uttar Pradesh government for its initiatives to preserve Indian culture through the celebration of such festivals.
Meanwhile, a painting exhibition is also being organised in Mathura ahead of Janmashtami.
"We are organising an exhibition to celebrate Janmashtami. Thirty artists are participating in this exhibition," said Yashwant Singh Rathore, deputy director of Mathura museum.
The artists participating in the exhibition appreciated this initiative. "I feel fortunate to be able to participate in this exhibition. We are making paintings based on our feelings for Lord Krishna. These will be displayed for the people later on," said Krishna Trivedi, an artist from Delhi.
Janmashtami, a Hindu festival, celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna and the believers observe the day by keeping fast and visiting the temples.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor