Krishanajanamaasthami being observed in Nepal.

Hindu God “Krishna” was born today. So, this day is being observed as Krishanjanmaasthami by Hindus across Nepal. The day is also marked as the victory of good over evil. In other words, it is described as the victory of truth over evil.

Hindu epics are galore with the examples of reincarnation of Gods and deities to exterminate the evils of this earth when the evil reared its head before the good (dhamma) or truth on this earth.

The celebration of this day takes the form of the great festival among the austere devotees of Hindus. Krishana is worshiped with various names such as Krishna, Saatam, Aatham, Gokulashtami, Ashtami Rohini, Srikrishna Jayanti, etc.

Lord Krishna is considered to be the 8th incarnation of another Hindu God called Lord Vishnu. A legend has that Krishan was born inside the jail as his parents –Devaki and Vasudev were imprisoned by his maternal uncle –Kansa under the fear that one of the offspring born of Devaki might kill him as per the prediction. But on the day of Krishna’s birth, the jailors were deep in slumber and jail was open.

This festival is being observed at temples of Krishna Mandir, in Patan Durbar Square and Narayanhiti Krishna Mandir in Kathmandu. Hindi devotee stay awake until midnight on the eve of this day. The celebration is done with the lighting of traditional oil lamps, a procession through the streets, etc. Tourists visiting Nepal can also participate in this procession.