VIJAYAWADA: Gopashtami, a festival dedicated to Lord Krisnha and cows, was celebrated in Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) atop Indrakeeladri on Friday. Following the instructions of Endowments Commissioner M Hari Jawaharlal to celebrate the ritual in all the major temples of the State, temple officials made elaborate arrangements and celebrated Gopashtami.
On this day, priests offer special pujas and prayers to Lord Krishna. Cow puja is performed along with pradakshina. Devotees visit gosalas (cow sheds) to bathe and clean the cows and the sheds. On the day, devotees pay special respect to cows for its utilities in daily life and take its blessings. Durga temple EO D Bramaramba and temple trust board members participated in Gopashtami held atop Indrakeeladri.
“The festival of Gopashtami is celebrated on the eighth day of the Hindu month Kartik, during the period of Shukla Paksha. It is dedicated to worshipping and offering prayers to the cows. The Hindu community believes cows to be the reincarnation of God,” she said. According to Hindu mythology, on this day, Lord Krishna and his elder brother Lord Balrama took the cows to graze for the first time in Vrindavan. Hence, it is celebrated as Gopashtami. “On the occasion, we worship cows to seek blessings for a happy, harmonious, and prosperous life,” said temple Sthanacharya Vishnubotla Siva Prasad Sharma.