Tanjore Painting of Lord Bala Krishna made by Latha Narasimhan (me!!) Update: Thanks SeeC, for suggesting that I put a web optimized image with a copyright.
This year (update: refers to year 2007) Srijayanthi also known as Gokulashtami/Janmashtami/Krishnashtami falls on 4th September.As always I am posting the details and important recipes (prasaadams or offerings) of Krishna jayathi or Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, a few days ahead of the festival. This is for people who come here looking for these recipes.
The following recipes have been posted on The Yum Blog, click through for the recipes.
Lord Krishna’s Birthday is celebrated by Hindus all over the world! In the North this is celebrated as Janmashtami. In the South, the Iyers call this festival Janmashtami or Gokulashtami and the Iyengars celebrate as Srijayanthi or Krisnajayanthi.
In Karnataka, Iyengars place the idol of Lord Krishna in a mandapam and decorate him with the Bhakshanam (Snacks and Sweets in Tamil) they prepare for the festival. Garlands and thoranams are made out of Murrukus and Kodubales!
A few decades earlier back the children in the household used to decorate a chaparam(mandapam that can be carried on your shoulders), place the image of Lord Krishna in it and carry it around the streets. As a child I remember we too built these chaparams for the lord. My father as usual performed a Aaradanai (a poojai performed for Saligramam which is a divine stone considered to be a manifestation of Lord Vishnu) and a variety of Bhakshanams(sweets and snacks) were offered as prasaadam. These days children do a lot of craft work for their school project, but there is no inclination to build a chaparam for the lord.
For children Srijayanthi definitely means a lot of snacking and jolly time for the sweet tooth. Snacks prepared usually have rice flour as main ingredient. Minimum five varieties of fresh fruits are offered. Naval pazham (Syzygium cumini , Skeels, Myrtaceae) the lords favourite fruit is definitely included. To know the medicinal properties of this fruit please visit this link.
Navaneetham and Sukkuvellam are two items that are prepared only for this festival.
The pooja is performed in the late evening as Krishna was born at midnight. Generally most of the sweets and savouries are prepared on that day only. The front yard is decorated by drawing a kolam (rice flour drawings on ground), called ezhakoolam. This is done using soaked rice ground to a fine paste and mixed with lot of water. A white cloth is used to soak the paste and make the drawing. Krishna’s feet is drawn from the front yard to the pooja room, indicating that the lord is entering our home. In my home my son has been performing the pooja for the last 5 years. We do the Srikrishna Ashtothra Naamavali (chanting of 108 names of Lord Krishna) for the Pooja.
We are hosting a virtual food event for the festival, and I am sure all my blogger friends will send their entries in great numbers. So while I prepare a huge array of sweets and snacks, I will post only a few in the coming days. My blogger friends will bring out the best of their culinary skills and post other great recipes which are prepared for this festival. :). Click here for details of the event.
Read the Round up of all Entries Here
The \'yum\' blog 
Happy Krishna Janmashtami!
Great post Latha,glad I made Seedai.
Could you please take my URL and the Seedai photo from my blog as my entry. I don’t think I can send it to you today in the email, got to put the lotion in my eyes 4 times today,it’s giving me a head ache now too.Thanks:)
http://aromahope.blogspot.com/2007/08/seedai-for-little-krishna.html
Perfect timing…. we can get ready. My husband will be impressed when I churn out all the traditional goodies…
Very helpful site Latha.
Very nice write up….simple and informative. Iam sure you and your family will enjoy Janmashtami with all the goodies that you plan to make.
Thank you for stopping by my blog.
Hi Latha,
I happen to visit your blog and found it very interesting. Looking forward for the recipes u listed out..:)
now i finally have an excuse to make some bakshanam!
Hi latha,
I’ve tagged you for a meme…check my blog for details and get ready to write your own!!:)
This is nice information on traditions followed in Janamashtami. The Tanjore painting is looking very pretty.Krishna is looking cute 🙂
Long back our neighbour a Tamilian would draw with her fists closed Krishna’s feet with rice paste. It was a pleasure to see her making the rangolis.
Wow ! I am waiting to see every ones entries. 🙂
Nice information Latha. Look forward to see your recipes. Viji
thats a nice post! i learnt a lot- thank you…
n very sweet of u to have visted my blog- loved the comments!
looking to read the recipies, and i hope i wil try out some and impress my mom! 🙂
u made that painting latha? hats off to u…
Have sent you my entry for the event. Do let me know if you do not receive it:-)
Really a wonderful attempt!!Love the painting!!!
The face outline has come out well!
I was away for a reception this evening,where I met one of our family friends who is a Vadamal Iyer Mami…I asked her I want to do something easy for krishnajayanthi…She suggested theratti pal…!!!Is it a neivedyam for Krishnar??
So I am going to try my best, for it in microwave!!Can I?;)..
I appreciate so much your sharing these sacred rituals with all of us. Gods and food is such an ancient balance. We all celebrate with you.
u made that painting….its absolutely beautiful…… wow…. please tell us how such a painting is made…
I learn so much from visiting your site. Can’t wait to see the dishes.
[…] Festivals, vegetarian, Uncategorized — lathanarasimhan @ 5:33 am Uppu seedai is a must for Srijayanthi! This snack is some thing you can do in a leisurely way. You can mix the maavu, sit in front of the […]
Looks great latha. Very talented. While in india i always wanted to join Tanjore painting class but never got a chance. Great picture.
A suggestion. See if you could resize the image you post to small size (web small version). By this way page loading does not take more time andleaves behind the least chance of copying/reproducing the pictures. Esp handmade ones like this are precious. Do copyright or make a mark on the picture. It is just my suggestion. Consider if you feel it as OK.
SeeC, thanks for the suggestion. I’ll help amma do this right away. lakshmi
Hi Latha, once again there you go right in time for the next festivity with your mouth watering delicacies! Just one thing which came up to my mind – don’t you think soaked and freshly ground rice powder gives a better taste and consistency for making seedai! I got this tip from my minlaw, so maybe u can incorporate! Also when I first made seedai in my early twenties after marriage, when I used rice powder the seedai went crackling like fire crackers up and down. Imagine – then I told Lord Krishna to take it as a part of the festivity!!!!
Prema.
Yes Prema, always freshly ground flour gives better seedais. Amma always grinds the flour fresh – she has posted the recipe for flours separately and linked. lakshmi
[…] Janmashtami-23rd August […]
Dear Mami,
I have seen you so many recipes preparation.
I would like to know the complete preparation of SAJJAPPA
Kindly inform me the procedure of preparation.
Regards,
Vasantha
Dear mami,
Please I would like to know the Attarassa preparation.
Regards,
Vasantha
Dear Madam,
This is the first time to celebrate krishna jayanthi in my house after getting a kid. this given information is really useful for the beginners like me.
thanks a lot.
luv always
Bhu.
Happy Janmashtami mam,
That was very useful for a begginer like me.
Thank you.
priya
Madam,
I have read your “The Yum Blog” with great interest.
I am a “wikipedian” contributing articles to wikipedia on many subjects including Hinduism. Since I am an iyengar from Karnataka, I am interested to write on Iyengars and all issues related to them.
In Wikpedia, there is an article on “Janma Ashtami”. I want to contribute to it with more text and photos. I may consider writing a seperate article also on Krishna Jayanthi in the format that we celebarte it in South India. Either way, I need to make use of the text and most of the photos you have uploaded on your blog. As you know, the wikipedia is a free encylopedia and also, article contributors names are not projected on the main page of the article but shown on the History page. In case you wish the photos on your blog and text to be used , you can either directly become a wikipedia user and post articies or give me permission to use your photos and texts ( which will be paraphrased to wiki standards).
In case you give me permission to use the photos, then you have to give me a free license to use the photos on wikipedia ( I will send you the format prescribed by Wiki Coomons after hearing from you). Wiki does not pay for any of the material and photos uploaded on their site
My hearty compliments to you on the excellent postings on your web blog.
Best wishes
N.V.V.Char
(I am posting this from Delhi)
Hi,
This is great and the photos are mouthwatering. we would follow all the Tamil Festivals meticulously to get at the photos in real form. It was so thoughtful of my daughters Keerthi and Deepali to have put me on to this site.
Now its going to get tough for my wife JJ.
HI,
in samputi.com site having all the information about kaarthikamasam 30 days pooja procedure and having all the other pooja procedures,vrathas also and having for children rhymes, shathakamulu.and sathyanarayana vrathapooja, dhaamodhara, kedhaareshwara, ksheeraabdhi vratha poojas are also available.in English and telugu languages. audio also available for each pooja, daily panchangam and astrology also available.
The Specific Link is
http://www.samputi.com/launch.php?m=pooja&l=te&key=16.
visit samputi.com website once.
thanks
-rao
This is a topic near to my heart thanks, found you through Bing.
[…] The busiest day of the year was September 1st with 12 views. The most popular post that day was Srijayanthi( Krishna jayanthi or Janmashtami or Gokulashtami) and Recipes. […]
well…, im nt indian but it seems cool
can anybody suggest some Krishnan Kaalugal(Feet)
[…] Kovil Kannapiran Srijayanthi-8th September (For Iyengars) […]
Hi,
I am a great fan of this blog. Could you please share the procedures of celebrating Krishna janmashtami festival (iyengar mmethod)?
Thank you.