On Janmashtami, eerie silence in Lord Krishna ancestral place Shauripur

Shauripur was the capital of Lord Krishna's ancestors and also the center of the Jain faith as it is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Neminath, the cousin of Lord Krishna, who is the 22nd Tirthankar of Jainism.

Agra: While Janmashtami, which marks the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna is being celebrated by Hindus with religious fervor, there is an eerie silence in Shauripur, the ancestral village of Lord Krishna. Located around 85 km away from the district headquarters in Agra and about three kilometers from Bateshwardham.

Shauripur was the capital of Lord Krishna's ancestors and also the center of the Jain faith as it is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Neminath, the cousin of Lord Krishna, who is the 22nd Tirthankar of Jainism.

Several centuries down the line, Shauripur, the ancestral place of Lord Krishna, came to be associated with Jainism pushing its association with Lord Krishna to the background. According to Hindu mythology, during the Dwapar era, Vasudev had gone to Mathura to marry Kansa's sister Devaki, taking a procession from Shouripur. After marriage, Kansa put Vasudev and Devaki in jail when there was Akashvani (foretelling) about a threat to Kansa's reign from Vasudev.

For this reason, Lord Krishna was born in Mathura, which should have otherwise been Shouripur. According to the Mahabharata period, King Shoorsen had built the city of Shauryapur (Shouripur) on the banks of the Yamuna, but now the ruins of this city are left untouched. Pandit Rakesh Vajpayee said that the dynasty of Chandravanshi Maharaj Shursen was later called Yaduvansh.

Andhak Vrishni was the son of King Shurasena. He had ten sons including Samudra Vijay, and Vasudeva, and two daughters Kunti and Madri. Lord Krishna was born in Vasudev's place. As per Pramod Jain, priest of Digambar Jain temple and religious scholar Pandit Brijesh Shastri, the queen of ocean victory, Lord Neminath was born from the womb on Shravan Sudi VI, who is the 22nd Tirthankara of Jainism.

Lord Neminath was married to the daughter of King Ugrasen of Junagadh (Saurashtra). Lord Krishna's cousin and other Yaduvanshis from Shauripur went to Junagadh with great pomp and procession of Lord Neminath. Seeing the violent animals in Junagadh, Lord Neminath left Kangan and went to Girnar mountain.