Raj CM offers prayers at temple on Janmashtami

Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma offered prayers on Friday at the Shrinathji temple in Poonchhari Ka Lautha, Deeg district, here on Janmashtami, as devotees thronged temples across the state to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna.

Accompanied by his wife, Sharma performed rituals at the temple and prayed for the prosperity and well-being of the people of Rajasthan, according to a statement.

The chief minister performed an ‘abhishek’ of Shri Giriraj Ji at the Mukut Mukharvind temple. Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham and MLAs Shailesh Singh, Bahadur Singh Koli and Nauksham Chaudhary were among those present. In Jaipur, devotees gathered at the historic Govind Devji temple starting late Thursday night, with darshan beginning with the Mangala Aarti at 4 am.

Officials said the main celebrations will be held at midnight. Ahead of the midnight celebrations, the deity will receive a ‘Panchamrit Abhishek’, while six Vedic priests will recite hymns. According to the temple administration, 425 litres of milk, 365 kilograms of curd, 11 kilograms of ghee, 85 kilograms of ‘boora’ (powdered sugar) and 11 kilograms of honey have been arranged for the ‘abhishek’.

A recital of the ‘Shri Krishna Janmashtami Vrat Katha’ will be held between 10 pm and 11 pm. Special programmes have also been planned at Radha Damodar temple in Chaura Rasta, Gopinathji, Akshaya Patra, Akshardham and ISKCON temples in the city.