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Krishna Janmashtami Facts & Worksheets

Krishna Janmashtami is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of the god Krishna

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Krishna Janmashtami is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of the god Krishna on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada (August–September).

See the fact file below for more information on Krishna Janmashtami or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Krishna Janmashtami worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

General Information & Practices

  • The Krishna Janmashtami festival is celebrated every year by Hindus all over the world over the course of 2–3 days.
  • The first day of celebration is for Smarta Sampradaya and the second day is for Vaishnava Sampradaya.
  • During the festival, artistic enactments of the life of Lord Krishna are played out in ‘Krishna Lilas’, followed by an all-night vigil with the singing of devotional songs, fasting, and a festival the following day.
  • The celebration takes place in Mathura and Vrindavan, where Lord Krishna is believed to have been born and spent his years growing up. 
  • Devotees observe a fast and sing devotional songs for him as the clock strikes twelve since he was believed to be born at midnight.
  • During fasting, devotees take Sankalpa after finishing morning rituals and perform Krishna Puja during Nishita Kaal which is midnight as per Vedic time-keeping.
  • Devotees also wash baby Krishna’s statue with panchamrit, then decorate it with new clothes and ornaments, offer flowers, fruits, and sweets.
  • The human pyramid is one highlight of the celebration: a young boy, who stands right at the top, is elevated by the crowd to reach a clay pot filled with buttermilk (dahi). 
  • The boy then smashes the pot and the buttermilk spills when he reaches the top of the pyramid.
  • Devotees then break their fast and share food and sweets such as panjiri, Makhan Mishri, kheer, and honey with milk, etc.

Sankalpa – Mantra is used to refer to a life lived with heartfelt intentions through the meditation practice of repetition.
Panchamrit – bathing the shivling with water, milk, and honey along with bel leaves. This is followed by applying vermillion to the shivling representing virtuousness. Fresh fruits are then offered to the deity in order to seek his blessings.

  • On Janmashtami, children in the Meetei Vaishnava community play the Likol Sannaba game and their parents dress them up as characters in the legends of Krishna, such as gopis and as Krishna. 
  • Temples and community centers are decorated with flowers and leaves, and a lot of devotees recite or listen to the tenth chapter of the Bhagavata Purana, and the Bhagavad Gita.
  • According to India Today, Krishna Janmashtami wishes may consist of:
    • Let your life be filled with love and laughter with Lord Krishna’s blessings. Happy Janmashtami!
    • May Lord Krishna always be with you and protect you and your loved ones.” Happy Krishna Janmashtami!
    • May Lord Krishna bless you with values and show you the right path on this auspicious occasion of Janmashtami!
    • Lord Krishna will give you the courage to fight the hardships in life. Happy Janmashtami!
    • May Lord Krishna give you lots of happiness on the holy occasion of Krishna Janmashtami!

Bhagavata Purana – is a revered text in Vaishnavism, a Hindu tradition that reveres Vishnu.
Bhagavad Gita – It occupies chapters 23 to 40 of Book VI of the Mahabharata about the dialogues between Prince Arjuna and Krishna, an incarnation of the god Vishnu.

History Of Janmashtami

Mathura was ruled by the evil King Kansa. His sister Princess Devaki and her husband Vasudeva married and had children. However, a prophecy befell them that earned their ire of her brother that said the couple’s eighth son would cause Kansa’s downfall.

This angered Kansa and he imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva instantly. The king had their first six children killed. Their seventh child, Balram’s fetus is said to have been mystically transferred from Devaki’s womb to Princess Rohini’s, while their eighth child, Krishna, was rescued by Vasudeva and given to Nand Baba and Yashoda in Vrindavan.

Vasudeva returned to Mathura with a baby girl and handed her over to Kansa. When the king attempted to kill the baby, she transformed into Goddess Durga, warning him about the impending doom for which he was fated.

Meanwhile, Lord Krishna grew up in Vrindavan in the care of Nand and Yashoda and was a naughty child. He loved makhan (white butter), curd, and milk and would often steal butter from their neighbor’s homes. His mother Yashoda would often have to tie him up to stop his antics. 

* The women residing in Vrindavan soon stored their freshly churned butter at a height to prevent Krishna from reaching the pot of the treat, but he and his friends would form human pyramids to extract the butter from the pot hung at an elevation. 

*The Dahi Handi festivals ritualized every year on Janmashtami are thus an imitation of Lord Krishna’s efforts. The preparation of white butter, curd, and milk as well as the human pyramid was attributed to him.

Krishna Janmashtami Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Krishna Janmashtami across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets about Krishna Janmashtami, a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of the god Krishna on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada (August–September).

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Krishna Janmashtami Facts
  • The Lord Krishna
  • Lessons from Krishna
  • Dressing for the Feast
  • Kolam Greeting Card
  • The Peacock Crown
  • Krishna Jhula
  • Let’s Eat Panjiri!
  • The End of Story
  • Krishna Festivals
  • Wordfind

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the story behind Krishna Janmashtami?

Janmashtami is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of Krishna, occurring on the 8th day during Bhadrapada (August-September). The number eight also symbolizes something else in relation to Krishna; he was Devaki’s eighth child.

Why is Krishna Janmashtami celebrated at night?

The Chitra Pournami is a major Hindu festival that happens in the spring. It is celebrated by Hindus all over India on April 19th. Most temples have their festivals on the Ashtami Tithi (April 18), which is when Shri Krishna was born according to Udaya Tithi tradition. However, illustrious astrologer Dr. Ganesh Mishra believes that Krishna was actually born at midnight on the Ashtami Tithi, so the celebrations begin then.

Why is Krishna’s skin blue?

The legends say that when Lord Krishna was a baby, a demon gave him poisoned milk. This made his skin look bluish.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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