Janmashtami 2023: Festive guide to celebrate Krishna's birthday in Mumbai

Add flower veni pieces to the palna that are made of different coloured wool, for a vibrant look

Palna at home

JanmashtamI is the day that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, and so on this day, a tiny cradle, also called palna, is decorated with a lot of gusto. The cradle is usually made of wood or in some cases, it has a metallic finish with meenakari embellishments. It is in such cradles that laddu Gopal (baby Krishna idols) are placed and the cradle is rocked at midnight of Janmashtami, symbolically marking the birth of Krishna.

The palna is decorated using fresh flowers, fresh or artificial flower torans or decorative laces. If you haven't gotten a chance to figure out what to use to decorate it, fret not, we have got you covered. Try these options:

Option 1: Using the fabric glue, stick golden cloth laces across the palna, so that the wooden part is not visible. Add decorative flowers and cherry branches every few inches on the lace, to complete the look. Opt for gold-coloured fabric, as it adds to the overall festive look.

Option 2: Take 50 dry cotton wicks that are circular at the base. On one patch of the palna's wooden area, use industrial glue to stick four wicks together in a way that it forms a cross. You can also take six wicks. Now, at the centre, stick a red mid-sized bindi. This makes it an interesting motif-looking piece. Repeat this on the entire palna.

Option 3: Fresh flowers are a great way to decorate the cradle. You can use cello-tape to stick red roses. If you aren't keen on a flowers-only theme, you can use strings to tie fresh white mogra gajra or flower veni that are easily available in the markets. Try buying veni pieces that are made of different coloured wool, for a vibrant look.

Celebrate, the Mathura way

Mathura, the birth place of Krishna, sees Janmashtami celebrations on a huge scale. Locals, who are ardent devotees of Krishna and Yamuna (river), celebrate the fest at home in their own way. Anil Chaturvedi, a Mathura resident and a priest, gives us a lowdown on how he and his family ring in the festivities.

Ghats of the Yamuna river at Mathura. Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons

"In Mathura and in my family, we celebrate Janmashtami with a lot of fanfare. We consider this occasion more important than any other event in our lives. It's more important than even our children's birthdays, as the Lord took birth here, in the pure lands of Mathura. For generations, we have been following the traditions of palna decoration that we rock at midnight, as a mark of respect and as an announcement that Krishna has taken birth.

We play the dhol nagada at midnight, as that's when He was born. We place the laddu Gopal idol on cucumbers that we place on small bedding on the cradle, as we believe he was born around kheera (cucumbers). We then proceed to do a panchamrut abhishek (bath). Panchamrut is a mixture of milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar; and this is followed by an aarti.

All of this happens, while everyone in the family is singing and chanting bhakti songs of Lord Krishna. It's what we call in Mathura, a maha-utsav (grand celebration). The following morning, we serve an elaborate feast to Krishna, which include dishes like butter, moong dal, puri, rice, sweets made of pure ghee and almonds, rajgira roti, pista barfi and dried fruits. My grandmother used to make bhog dishes, then my mother started doing it, and now, I help the family to prepare."

Chandrakala

This is a traditional dessert that reflects all the things that Krishna loved - butter, sugar and sweet.

Ingredients

For the outer covering
>> 1/8 tsp salt >> 1 cup maida >> 2 tbsp homemade clarified white butter (makhan) >> Oil to deep fry

For the sugar syrup
>> 3/4 cup sugar >> 1/2 cup water >> 4 strands saffron (optional)

For inner stuffing
>> 3/4 cup khoya (homemade mawa) >> 2 tablespoon finely powdered sugar >> 1/2 tsp cardamom powder >> 2 tbsp chopped almonds and pistachio

Method
In a bowl, mash khoya thoroughly and add chopped almonds and pistachios, cardamom powder and powdered sugar. Mix well and keep it aside. To prepare the dough, take maida in a bowl and add salt, white clarified butter (makkhan) and mix well. Pour water little by little while mixing the dough, till the dough is ready. Ensure that the dough consistency is not too smooth or too hard. It should be similar to the dough used while to make parathas. Set aside to rest. To make the sugar syrup, on a stove, place a pan and add water, sugar and saffron strands. On medium flame, boil until it reduces and forms a sticky syrup.

Ensure that this syrup is not too watery. Set aside. Now, knead the dough again and make sure it is smooth and not crumbly. Roll the dough into thin sheets of the same size. The size can be as large as a regular puri. Add 2 tsp of the khoya stuffing one side of this sheet and fold from the sides by pressing the edges. Repeat this with the rest of the sheets to make the raw dough chandrakala. On a stove, place a deep pan and heat the oil. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the raw dough chandrakala pieces, till they are light golden brown. Repeat this for all the pieces. In the bowl of warm sugar syrup, dunk the pieces for a few minutes and keep it aside. Garnish them with finely powdered sugar.

Recipe courtesy: Home chef Madhavi Modha of Annapurna Bakery and Cookery Class

Festive feasting

Want to try some delicious Janmashtami special delicacies? Check these options

>> Ranjan Mistri
Order lip smacking makkhan, kaju mesub, boondi and panjari.
Call: 8879520664

>> Ranjan Mashru
Pick from some 100-plus sweets like tirangi mehsub with dry fruits, ghugra, mawa baati, manmanohar laddu, kaju pista roll, badam mesub and ghevar.
Call: 8779222169

>> Anand Kumar Mukhiyaji
You can order delicious mohanthad, jalebi, toprapak, mathadi and thor.
Call: 983356580

>> Parsi Dairy Farm
Try the delicious sutarfeni, sweet curd, jalebi and kesari barfi this festive season.
Call: 67752222

>> Tewari Bros. Mithaiwala
Their bestsellers include motichoor laddoo, mohanthal, mawa barfi and dry fruit laddoo.
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