The joy of welcoming a newborn into the family is irreplaceable and inexplicable, and Lord Krishna’s devotees experience this euphoria every year on Janmashtami. The bhakti bhaav (devotion) towards God might vary, while some call him Ladoo Gopal and treat him as a baby, others call him Krishna or Gopal and celebrate him as a teenage boy.
Video Credit: Sunita Agarwal/ YouTube
Among many auspicious days, Janmashtami is a sacred one as Hindus across India come together to surrender themselves in his devotion. Many observe fast, decorate their home temple, adorn Lord Krishna’s swing with flowers, and prepare feast, especially milk-based delights, for God.
From Rajasthan to Assam and Uttar Pradesh to Kerala, devotees across India might have different rituals and prepare a variety of delicacies but their devotion to Lord Krishna is sacred. Janmashtami means so much more to them but the festive celebration is incomplete without the dining table filled with sweets and savouries. Slurrp connected with chefs and home chefs across India to bring you a range of delights that devotees prepare to please Lord Krishna.
West Bengal
“Bengalis have a saying baro mashe tero parbon (loose translation: Indians celebrated 13 festivals in 12 months),” said Chef Samrat Banerjee, partner - ABV Hospitality, while speaking about the celebration of Janmashtami in West Bengal. The feast for Lord Krishna depends on how a family seeds him.
“If they see him as a young baby, they serve him makkhan, dahi, special sweets, pakoras, kheer, and seasonal fruits among many other delights. However, if they see him as a 15-year-old teenager, they prepare mohan bhog, Sita bhog, Radhavallabhi puri, aloo sabzi, etc. along with sweets,” the chef added.
Explaining the festivities, he said that when people come together at one place, they cook dishes containing maida or flour for binding, sugar or jaggery, coconut, and other milk-based ingredients. “Janmashtami in West Bengal is also celebrated as the birthday of Yogmaya (an incarnation of Goddess Durga) who was born on the same day at the house of Nanda and Yashoda,” Chef Samrat Banerjee explained.
Uttar Pradesh
Mathura being the centre of celebration for Janmashtami, Uttar Pradesh witnesses festive arrangements at a grand level. Ashu Chugh, Executive Chef, Paatra, Jaypee Greens Greater Noida Golf Course, shared, "In some areas, especially in places with a strong Krishna tradition like Mathura and Vrindavan, people enact the 'Ras Lila', a traditional dance-drama that portrays Krishna’s leelas with his devotees. Special sweets and dishes are prepared, including dishes made from milk and curd, which are offered to Krishna and then distributed among devotees."
Reminiscing his childhood, he shared that he used to participate in the dahi handi contest in which he used to climb on the top of the human pyramid to break the earthen pot containing curd. "Janmashtami for me and my friends was not just a festival; it was an opportunity to bond, to challenge ourselves, and to create memories that would be cherished for years to come," he added.
Anoop Singh Bisht, Executive Chief at Govinda's Restaurant, ISKCON Dwarka, added that one of the special dishes offered to Lord Krishna in the Braj region is pede from Mathura. Both chefs shared regional delights that take centre stage during the celebration. The list includes panjiri, shrikhand, makhane ki kheer, makhan mishri, malpua, khichdi, panchamrit, sabudana khichdi, and chakli.
Rajasthan
Pushwinder Kumar, Chef De Cuisine, The Leela Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan, said that across the state, especially in the capital city, the celebration of Janmashtami brings a lot of joy to devotees. Since many observe fast on this day, the food is cooked without onion, grains, and garlic.
Among popular delights that are a part of bhog offered to Lord Krishna in Rajasthan, churma made with dry fruits, desi ghee, and jaggery tops the list. “Apart from churma, other delicacies are also cooked, like makhana kheer, makhan mishri, mawa ke ladoo, panjiri, sabudana kheer, malpua, ker sangri without onion and garlic, gatte ki sabji, bati, etc.”
He mentioned that panjiri is one of the most soulful foods prepared on this day. He explained that devotees stand in queues for hours to get inside the temples and seek Lord Krishna’s blessings. Since they are fasting, they cannot eat anything. “When panjiri is served, it gives a quick boost of energy and satiates cravings,” he added.
Gujarat
Chef Aanal Kotak, a celebrity chef, author, restaurateur, and TV host, said, "Many households install Lord Krishna's idol at home. It is an eight-day festival, where on the eighth day, devotees observe a fast, prepare Krishna's favourite dishes, and begin celebration around midnight."
The delicacies prepared in the state include Mohanthal, farali dhokla, farali kadhi, rajgira puri, karali pakoras, and aloo-beetroot sabzi. "Panjiri is also prepared and offered to Mata Kaushalaya (birth mother of Lord Rama, Lord Vishnu's incarnation in Treta Yuga) and Maa Yashoda (birth mother of Lord Krishna, Lord Vishnu's incarnation in Dwapar Yuga)," she added. It is prepared using fennel seed powder, coriander seeds, edible glue, and dry fruits.
In Gujarat, you can also locate vendors selling patrani ki sabzi prepared with 100-110 different kinds of vegetables. "It includes green leafy vegetables that one would not eat otherwise, making it a nutritious addition to the Janmashtami feast."
Maharashtra
To bring you glimpses of Janmashtami celebrations in Maharashtra, Slurrp connected with Chef Anshul Dhyani, Executive Chef, ITC Grand Central, Mumbai. He shared, "In Maharashtra, Janmashtami is a vibrant celebration marked by the famous 'Dahi Handi' event. Inspired by Lord Krishna’s childhood mischief, groups of young men, known as “Govindas,” form human pyramids to reach and break an earthen pot filled with curd, butter, and other goodies, which is suspended high above the ground."
The Maharashtrian delights that are cooked on this special day include makhan, puran poli, sabudana khichdi, shrikhand, and kheer. Reminiscing about his childhood, he added, "At home, one special dish we always prepare for Janmashtami is Makhana Ladoo—sweet balls made from puffed lotus seeds, ghee, and jaggery. This dish holds a special place in my heart because, as a child, my grandmother would make these ladoos and tell us stories about Lord Krishna’s love for simple, homemade sweets."
Assam
“If we talk about Assamese culture then in our place first of all on the day of Janmashtami we eat pure vegetarian food and eat black gram and coconut, dal in the form of Prasad. In other parts of India, we also break the pots/handi in some regions of Assam. And we give swing rides to Lord Krishna,” shared Chef Santa Sarmah, who was the first runner-up of MasterChef India 2023 and winner of Rengoni Grihini Superstar season 2.
She was recently in New Delhi for an Assamese food pop up at DEL, Roseate House. Speaking about the regional delicacies prepared on the occasion of Janmashtami, the chef shared a list that includes makhan mishri, black gram, coconut, dal, two different kinds of ladoo (kesa mithoi and poka mithoi), kheer, labra moong dal khichdi, mix vegetable curry, and bilahir tok.
Sharing about the celebration of Janmashtami at her home, Chef Santa Sarmah added, “A special dish prepared in Assam for Janmashtami is poka mithoi and kesa mithoi ladoo. These two are mandatory in Assam. Our family observed this as I am Assamese Gorkha. I follow both Assamese and Gorkha traditions. We would prepare traditional dishes such as Kheer and khichdi as prasad to offer to Lord Krishna, avoiding garlic and onions throughout the day.”
Kerala
Slurrp connected with Smitha Vinod, a food vlogger from Kerala, to bring you a glimpse of Janmashtami celebrations in Kerala. She shared that devotees wake up early in the morning and visit the near by Krishna temple which is often decorated with flowers and devotees offer butter and fruits. At home, people clean the pooja room, dress up the idol of Lord Krishna with peacock feathers and a few other accessories before offering him prasadam.
Since Lord Krishna's birthday, milk-based dishes have been cooked. The recipes include neyyappam (deep-fried rice cakes), ada payasam (made with jaggery, rice, and coconut milk), vella seedai (prepared with coconut and rice flour) and paal payasam. Annadanam, which is a good deed of serving prasad to the needy, is also carried out in temples. The feast includes curries and rice.