Moscow celebrates Janmashtami

Moscow, Sep 6 (RIA Novosti) Thousands of followers of Lord Krishna gathered in Moscow to celebrate Janmashtami at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple.

The society's leader, Bhakti Vigyana Goswami Maharaj (Vadim Tuneyev) and Indian Ambassador to Russia Kanwal Sibal congratulated the devotees on Lord Krishna's birthday.

Russian girls who are followers of Krishna and have trained in Indian classical dances performed Kathak, Bharat Natyam and Odissi.

Actors from Moscow's Mathura Theatre performed scenes from the Ramayana. Children were delighted by the play 'Sun Sets Over Vrindavan', which told the story of Lord Krishna's birth and early years.

The organisers said over 3,000 helpings of Prasad were consumed. The festivities culminated at midnight, when major celebrations took place to commemorate Krishna's divine appearance at that hour.

Advayta Acariya Das (Anatoly Todorov), the ISKCON press secretary, said that more and more Muscovites are coming to Krishna's temple every year to celebrate Janmashtami.

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