VIJAYAWADA: Elaborate arrangements are being made by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Vijayawada chapter, for conducting ‘Sri Krishna Janmashtami’ on a grand note on August 15 at the temple premises near Undavalli.Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, ISKCON, Vijayawada vice-president Srivas Nimai Das said that on Tuesday, celebrations will begin from 4:30 am, with Mangala Harathi and spiritual discourse followed by Sri Krishna Katha Amrutham. The utsav will conclude on the late hours of Tuesday with Janmashtami Visesha Harathi, he said.
Special ‘maha abhishekam’ will be performed with 51 ingredients including milk, curd, honey, a variety of fruit juices, herbs and flowers along with ‘maha aarti’ with 108 lamps. These are some of the rituals to be held as part of the festival. A large number of local youths and enthusiasts are expected to converge on Tuesday for the ‘Utlotsavam’, the birth anniversary celebrations of Lord Krishna, which will be followed by bhajans and a ‘Maha Shanka-bhishekam’ around midnight.