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Festivals Of Jaipur

Janmashtami Celebrations in Jaipur | The Reason For Popularity Of Govind Dev Ji Temple?

Here are few pictures from the walled city area of Jaipur during  Janmashtami celebrations in Jaipur.  Jaipur loves to celebrate Janmashtami. These pictures were clicked prior to the grand procession of the festival near the Govind Devji Temple which has a huge following.

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The idol of Krishna and Radha from the procession of Janmasthmi  at Govind Dev Ji Temple, Jaipur
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Decorated elephant for a procession on Janmasthmi celebrations in Jaipur. All set
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Decorated camels along with the entourage! Janmashtami procession at Govind Devji Temple, Jaipur
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Band man…waiting!! Janmasthmi celebrations in Jaipur at Govind Devji temple, Jaipur
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Making sure everything works! Janmasthmi celebrations at Lord Govind Dev Ji temple, Jaipur
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waiting…..
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Festivities being announced with these banners in traditional markets of Jaipur along with light decorations on Janmashtami

Here is a picture of a kid in a joyous mood at one of the heritage temples in Jaipur- Ramchandra Ji temple. Kids have their own way of celebrating. He was wheeling even though people around were busy in setting things up for the celebrations.

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Wheeling kid at another Krishna temple in the city on Janmashtmi!

I clicked this picture in Sirehdyodi Bazaar near Hawa Mahal. It depicts the love for Lord Krishna. It’s a makeshift temple under a tree. Someone lighted a Diya (Indian version of a candle but it uses oil rather than wax) and placed a picture of Lord Krishna along with it. Marigold flowers spread all around complete the setting.

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Why Govind Dev Ji Temple Is So Popular In Jaipur?

Lord Krishna is one of the most revered deities in Jaipur. There is a special relationship that people of Jaipur share with Govind Dev Ji or Lord Krishna. Jaipur is a vibrant place when it comes to religion. You will find a temple of almost every deity in the city. Not only that, but there are also many mosques, Gurudwaras, and churches as well. There is religious diversity in Jaipur

Lord Krishna is one of the most popular deities in Hinduism. The reason Lord Govind Dev Ji is highly revered in Jaipur must be answered by delving into the history of Govind Devji Temple.

In 1727 AD  Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II  founded Jaipur as a new capital of  Dhundhad region. Amer town preceded  Jaipur as the capital of Dhundhad. The Rajput Kachhawah rulers of Amer followed the Vaishnav sect of Hinduism.  It’s believed that Kachhawah Rajput were lineal descendants of Lord Rama through his son Kush.  As per religious and mythological belief, Lord Rama and Krishna are both avatars of Lord Vishnu.

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Maharajah Man Singh I who was the ruler of Amer, constructed Govind Dev Ji temple in the holy city of Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh in 1590 AD. Govind Dev Ji is one of manifestation of Lord Krishna. In 1669 AD Mughal ruler Aurangzeb who ruled vast tracts of India ordered the destruction of all Hindu temples in North India. With these orders in place, the idols at Govind Dev Ji temple were secretly shifted out of Vrindavan to save them from destruction at the behest of  Amer rulers. Govind Devji temple in Vrindavan was plundered & damaged by the  Mughal army. Few idols from the Govind Dev Ji temple, Vrindavan found their way to Amer in due course. These idols were then established at the Radha Madhav temple in Kanak Vrindavan.

The popular theory goes that Lord Govind Dev manifested in the dreams of  Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II who founded Jaipur and asked him to shift his idol to the current site of Govind Dev Ji temple in Jaipur within the premises of royal abode. Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II ensured the same. He believed that the real ruler of the Jaipur was Lord Govind Dev and he was merely his disciple. This belief got passed on through all his lineal descendants; they too built many other rich and grand temples dedicated to Lord Krishna. Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II was an ardent follower and his day would start with the darshan of his Lord. It’s natural for people of Jaipur to adore Lord Govind Dev Ji too.

The following of Govind Devji in Jaipur is as strong as it was 300 years ago. Every Janmasthmi, Govind Dev Ji temple celebrates the birthday of Lord Krishna in a grand way. The celebration spans over a week and starts before the Janmashtami.

Check out my earlier write-up on Govind Dev Ji Temple.  Click here to read more posts from the same category.

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70 thoughts on “Janmashtami Celebrations in Jaipur | The Reason For Popularity Of Govind Dev Ji Temple?”

      1. Everything about India seems colourful, compared to the UK! For a start, our weather is mostly grey – grey skies, lots of rain and generally plenty of wind. During the few really warm summers we have, clothing becomes more colourful here, but not like in India with the bright, richly dyed clothing. Indian food is colourful, and so are the temples and shrines to (mostly) the Hindu gods. India looks stunning to us here, believe me! Exotic and very beautiful. Even the elephants and camels make it appear so. Your beautiful photos show all that – as well as the glorious sunshine. 🙂

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      2. I haven’t been to UK but yes from what I have read in literature and heard sunshine is something people look forward to. In fact weather is so often starting subject in Europe among strangers. In India weather is not a popular subject. Yes we get plenty of sunshine. I guess colors are quite ingrained in our life. That’s one of reason we don’t notice the way others do! Thanks for elaborating Millie! 🙂

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      3. You’re welcome. You’re right, so often we don’t notice things that are part of our daily lives. We just take them for granted. Visitors to our countries often see and remark on things and make us stop and think.

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      4. So true. we notice only things which are exception to what we’re used to! I’m sure I’ll find many great things if I were to visit your country! 🙂

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      5. Yes that’s for all the local men ( originally it started out by being a festival where mill workers and household help who lived in tenements and away from their families found this a great source of entertainment. The handi would actually have dahi in it and there would be a contributory cash prize and differed from tenement to tenement with the Govindas ( the men who made the pyramid) distributing the cash among themselves.
        Gradually it became a more organised activity with teams competing for the prize money …. Now of course it has become completely commercialised .

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      6. I know how most of are traditional festivals are being “hijacked” for commercial gains. just look at diwali..mithai to chocolate! people are looking at ways to make money out of every opportunity! if this is good or bad…that’s relative!

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    1. Both these cities are synonymous with Hinduism so certainly it’s more popular. Yes Jaipur may not be popular for Janmashtmi celebrations on national level but it ‘s celebrated with full vigour and zest.

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  7. Such colour and interesting history Arv! Learn something new every day! (ps..I’ve searched for those photo’s I told you about and can’t find them…I have a lap top that’s broken down and think they are on there, may be a while before I can get them off of it) That’s what I get for not doing back ups regularly! Great post! 🙂

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    1. Thank you for appreciating! It feels nice to know someone who ‘s away from the county enjoyed reading it. I’m taking a guess that you must be missing all this. You must be celebrating festivals among Indian diaspora though.

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      1. Yeah. Here in Nairobi there is are lot of North Indian temples but we miss the celebration of South Indian festivities. It’s always there, the missing. I actually have not seen this kind of celebration, wish to see them.

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      2. Kenya has large Gujarati diaspora, I guess Janmashtmi must be celebrated with full vigour? Even though we belong to same country but there’s large contrast in our festivals and celebrations. In some US cities the Indian communities celebrate all Indian festivals and comprises of various Indian communities. It surely helps when you’re away from your country. in many ways this is something all Indians residing in India should learn! Celebrating and participating in each other’s celebrations !

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      3. Yeah the Gujarati’s are a lot, settled here for almost three generations. As you say I haven’t attended these kind of festivals here. Will try to next time. True India is vast and each state has its own way of celebrating festivals. Good to know Jaipur’s way of celebrating.

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    1. Good to know that this post helped you revive memories! It’s a very popular temple, as you know Esha! Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts here! 🙂

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  13. There are three things I like about Jaipur, first the food, second the amazing people and third the grand celebrations ! And this surely is in the spirit of Royal Rajasthan ! Thanks for sharing 🙂

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    1. Thank You for sharing your thoughts. It’s true that Jaipur has tradition of celebrating things in it’s own style. While one can witness all this in the festival and events that are celebrated in Jaipur, the fall out has been that it has become one of India’s top wedding destination. Thanks for your visit! 🙂

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