Janmashtami in Gujarat

From Randhan Chhath and Shitala Satam to the midnight birth, Nand Utsav, matki-phod and the great fairs, Janmashtami in Gujarat is a festival of many days.

In the Gujarati calendar Janmashtami falls on Shravan Vad Atham, the eighth day of the dark half of Shravan (the same day is called Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami in the north Indian reckoning). In Gujarat, and especially in Saurashtra, it is not a single day but a festival of several days known as "Satam-Atham", when offices and schools close and whole families celebrate together.

It begins with Randhan Chhath, when the women of the house cook a variety of dishes for the next day. On Shitala Satam the stove is not lit; Shitala Mata is worshipped for the health of the family and the cold food cooked the day before is eaten. Then comes Atham, Janmashtami itself: devotees fast, temples and homes are decorated, and at midnight the birth of Lalo is greeted with bells, conches and the joyful cry "Nand ghar anand bhayo, jay Kanaiya lal ki". The next day, Nom, is Nand Utsav, a day of celebration and breaking the fast. In villages and cities teams of young people form human pyramids to break the matki, a pot of curd and butter hung high above the street.

During these days Dwarka and Dakor overflow with pilgrims. Saurashtra has an old tradition of Satam-Atham fairs; the Lok Mela of Rajkot is counted the largest of them, running for several days and drawing lakhs of people to its rides, folk music and stalls.

In the Pushtimarg havelis, Janmashtami brings special shringar and the palna darshan, when the infant Krishna is rocked in a cradle. Before that, all through the month of Shravan, the hindola darshans delight devotees with swings decorated with flowers, leaves, fruits and colourful fabrics.

District

Gujarat (statewide)