The festival of Janmashtami will be celebrated for two days in Mathura and Vrindavan. Extensive security arrangements are being made for this. Officials said that preparations are underway to celebrate the 5251st birth anniversary of Lord Krishna on a grand scale.

The festival will be celebrated at Shri Krishna Janmasthan and several other major temples in Mathura. According to reports, the festival will be celebrated on August 26-27. In Mathura, most temples will celebrate the festival on the midnight of August 26. However, the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan will celebrate Janmashtami on August 27.

If you are planning to visit any of these holy cities on this occasion, here is a list of places worth visiting.

Banke Bihari Temple

All the festivals and rituals in the temple on this special day are performed according to the ‘panchang’, which is prepared by the temple priests at the beginning of the year. The temple will celebrate Janmashtami on August 27 this year as the Ashtami sunrise falls on this day. The special ‘Mangala Aarti’ will be performed at 2 am. However, the usual prayers will be offered at the scheduled time on August 27. This will be followed by ‘Mahabhishek’ of the deity at midnight, which will not be open to the general public.

ISKCON Temple

Janmashtami will be celebrated at this temple on August 26. According to reports, 2,000-2,500 police personnel have been sought from the state government to ensure the safety of the large number of devotees visiting.

Dwarkadhish Temple

The Dwarkadhish Temple is considered one of the holiest temples in Mathura. It is famous throughout the country for its elaborate architecture and paintings. Built in 1814, the temple is relatively new but highly revered. It is dedicated to Lord Dwarkadhish, a form of Lord Krishna known as Dwarkanath, who is depicted in a black marble idol. The temple is beautifully decorated on this festival. Also, many rituals are performed here.

Madhuban

This is the area near the Yamuna river and is believed to be the same place where Lord Krishna performed Raasleela with his beloved gopis 5000 years ago. According to local folklore, even today Lord Krishna comes to this place to perform Raasleela with the gopis. Hence, the locals are not allowed to set foot in this area after dusk. However, Madhuban is decorated beautifully during Janmashtami as Raasleela and plays are performed here, but only during the daytime.

Get the latest news live on Times Now, along with breaking news and top headlines from destinations, travel and around the world.