Mathura: On the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami, Lord Krishna's hometown Mathura has been decked up. Devotees from across the country have started arriving. At 12 tonight, the birth of Lord Krishna will be celebrated with great joy. From a late night on Thursday itself, serpentine queues of devotees were seen at Gate No. 1, 2 and 3 of Janmabhoomi Mandir.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is likely to reach Mathura by 4 pm on Friday. Along with the CM, several Cabinet Ministers such as Chaudhary Lakshmi Narayan, Tourism Minister Jayveer Singh and Minister Surya Pratap Shahi Mantri will also make their presence felt in Mathura. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das Maharaj will perform 'abhishek', pooja and archana on the premises of Krishna Janmabhoomi Mandir. Long queues of devotees can be seen outside the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple premises and special preparations have been made keeping in view the safety of the people.
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This marks the 5249th manifestation of Lord Krishna. The sound of bells, mridangs and conch shells are echoing on the temple premises. Lakhs of devotees from far and wide will witness the special prayer offered at midnight today at the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple. The city, along with the temple complex, has been decorated by the Municipal Corporation and Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna with special lights. Laser lights have also been installed at different places.
The district administration had started preparations for Janmashtami 10 days in advance as every year 20 to 25 lakh devotees visit the premises of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple to have darshan of Lord Krishna. The district administration has been monitoring the police force with the help of drones and CCTV cameras. Companies of Pradeshik Armed Constabulary (PAC), Police Force and Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed at the busy spots to control the crowd. At the same time, police personnel in plain clothes have also been deployed to keep an eye on suspicious people.
