Janmashtami 2020: Mathura temples will be closed for visitors; how rituals will be performed

The decision of not celebrating the festival publicly has been made after a meeting was conducted by managers of temples across Mathura and Vrindavan.

Krishna Janmashtami celebrations 2020: Krishna Janmashtami, a festival celebrated in India that marks the birth of Lord Krishna, will be impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic and the usual way of celebrating will not take place. Every year, thousands of devotees come to Mathura (birth place of Krishna) and participate in celebrations with pomp at the famous Janmasthan temple, ISKON temple and Banke Bihari temple among others. But this year, due the novel Coronavirus pandemic across the country and the number of infected people crossing the 2 million mark, the temple and district authorities have decided not to let visitors enter Mathura temples.

According to many media reports, entry for all devotees coming to Mathura will not be permitted from August 10 to the afternoon of August 13. It is to note that Krishna Janmashtami falls on August 12 this year. While people from India and abroad will not be allowed to enter the Mathura temples, temple authorities will continue and perform all the rituals that are being done every year. According to Sarvagyaram Mishra, District Magistrate of Mathura, arrangements have been made to broadcast all the rituals duly performed live for devotees across the country. Manager of Banke Bihari temple, Munish Sharma too expressed concerns over the pandemic and stated that it will not be possible to entertain thousands of people and therefore, a public event should be banned.

The decision of not celebrating the festival publicly has been made after a meeting was conducted by managers of temples across Mathura and Vrindavan along with those of other pilgrimage sites. Everyone decided to not allow people to enter the temples and put on a show. Till now, each year, devotees performed skits, dances depicting Krishna’s life and his teachings along with putting up ‘jhaankis’ which is putting up some structures and showing a series of events that took place in the life of Krishna.