Jammu, September 5: Hundreds of devotees and art enthusiasts attended Janmashtami celebrations at the historic Mandir Shri Vaikunth Chaturmurti, popularly known as Dewan Mandir, in Jammu on Saturday, where a devotional programme featuring Odissi, Kathak and devotional music was organised.
The main attraction of the evening was “Krishna Arpanam”, a classical dance presentation led by Odissi exponent Krishnendu Saha along with artistes from the Nrityormi School of Odissi, Udaipur.
The programme included Aavahani, Dashavtar, Chandan Yatra, Krishna Nivedan and Moksha Mangalam. Meera bhajans, including “Hari Tum Haro Jan Ki Peer” and “Govind Leeno Mol”, were also presented during the programme.
Saha performed the Dashavtar, depicting the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Kathak exponent Dr Priya Dutta joined him during the presentation of the Meera bhajans. Sakshi Rathore, Srishti Pandey, Ketaki Mundra and Madhupa Chatterjee also participated in the programme.
The presentation was held at the temple premises before the deity of Lord Satyanarayan Ji. Devotees and visitors attended the programme, while the performances were followed by applause from the gathering.
The Janmashtami celebrations continued through the night, with local artistes, kirtan mandalis and devotional groups presenting bhajans and other devotional renditions at the temple.
The programme was organised under the guidance of Suresh Kumar Sharma, Commissioner-cum-Receiver. Speaking on the occasion, Sharma said Janmashtami was an occasion to celebrate devotion and cultural heritage.
He said the presentation demonstrated how classical dance could be used as a form of devotional expression and added that temples also serve as centres for preserving cultural traditions.
Krishnendu Saha is a senior disciple of Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Guru Sharmila Biswas and Founder and Director of the Nrityormi School of Odissi, Udaipur. He is a graded artiste of Doordarshan and has performed at various platforms across India. He has also been associated with SPIC MACAY in promoting Odissi through lecture-demonstrations.
The Janmashtami programme at Dewan Mandir brought together religious observance and Indian classical performing arts as part of the celebrations marking the birth of Lord Krishna.
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