Revel in the Happiness and Joy of Krishna Janmashtami: 10 of the Best Janmashtami Gifts to Give This Festive Season (2019)

Janmashtami is a Hindu festival that’s celebrated with gaiety and excitement all over the world given the fact that Lord Krishna was one of the most powerful human incarnate of Lord Vishnu and the day essentially marks his birthday. The occasion is also celebrated to observe the rich persona of Lord Krishna who’s purpose of taking a human form was to dispel evil and spread the message of brotherhood and love. The festival of Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated by fasting, praying and singing together, visiting Krishna & Vishnu temples and practicing Dahi Handi rituals in various parts of the country, especially in Maharashtra and other Indian western states.

It is a common sight to see little ones dressed up as Ladoo Gopal (the child version of Lord Krishna), markets brimming with sweets and beautiful adorned handis, people involved in play preparations of Krishna/Raas Leela and temples decorated with beautiful fragrant flowers. While celebrations are galore throughout the country, there are some places in the country which deserve a special mention, for these are the places where the true essence of Janmashtami celebration can be witnessed.

Mathura, Gokul and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh are the three places associated with Krishna’s childhood and are the go-to destinations, where during the celebrations you can witness almost 10 days of revlry, chanting of shlokas, Raas leela enactments, jhulotsava and fireworks in warm welcome to the Lord. Udupi, Karnataka also experiences the festivities with dance drama events, with Gopuras erected above the chariot with Lord’s idol moving across the city.

Huli Vesha dancers are also a crowd puller during the celebrations in addition to the local contests. Janmashtami celebrations are huge in places like Imphal-Manipur, Mumbai, Pune, Dwarka-Gujarat, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Puri-Odisa.

Gokulasthami, Krishna Jayanti or Janmashtami as is fondly called is a significant annual festival in India celebrated in honor of Lord Krishna’s birth, as Lord Vishnu’s 8th incarnation and for the celebrations, here’s an essential list of purchases that you definitely require before the auspicious day.

A Janmashtami Pooja Kit is one of the most important part of the celebrations and is typically equipped with pooja clothes, a yantra, sindoor, sweet offerings and other pooja accessories. Leave alone a pooja, any Indian event/festival’s incomplete with confectionaries and sweets with the symbolic offering of fruits, curd and sugar to Lord Krishna, exchanging sweets with dear ones and handmade ladoos or barfi as hot favorites.

Janmashtami celebrations are best observed in traditional attire, matching the ancient era and best suited to the occasion, in addition to buying ethnic clothing for Lord Krishna as well. They can be as colorful and vibrant as you’d like them to be. Another popular favorite is jewelry with traditional designs for Lord Krishna. If you are ill informed then buying books or DVDs on the occasion can be a big help for both pooja observance and to become familiar with the history and symbolism behind the festivities.

Janmashtami is a day to celebrate Lord Krishna’s birthday and to rejoice in his glory and accomplishments. The day is best celebrated with loved ones amidst warm wishes and delightful gifts, which can range from Lord Krishna and Radha Idols, gift cards or hampers, pooja accessories, dry fruits, and more.

With a variety of idols varying in size, designs, and colors, idols of Lord Krishna would be perfect as a gift item for purposes of worship or décor. Hand crafted, made in resin or metal, varieties available in the market are infinite. Then, there’s Krishna Jhula for swinging in and used in reverence of the lord. There are varieties of wall and door hangings with Lord Krishna’s idol featured on them which can make for beautiful gifts too, right from gorgeously carved wall hangings or Krishna playing flute to Radha Krishna idols and more. For elders, the gift of Bhagvad Gita is an excellent choice and will get you their blessings in abundance.

A symbol of prosperity, happiness, success, and luxury, the Metal Gold Plated Ladoo Gopal on Jhula is considered a harbinger of divinity, mental & spiritual satisfaction and as such has also been vastu certified by an Astrologer. The Indo metal Laddu Gopal (Bal Krishna) is placed atop the jhula that measures 10cm, and is beautifully carved by skilled artisans for Puja Décor. Gold plated the Ladoo Gopal Jhula weighs 99.8gm and measures 11 x 8 x 5.5 cm. Priced at Rs.199, the Metal Laddu Gopal Jhula is available on amazon.in.

The Borofood Akhand Diya Set of 3 is a Puja Lamp Set of medium size made in brass measuring 3” in height, 2” in width and of table top variety. With star carved lids and crystal studded stones, the Diyas give of a rich and Divine glow to the surrounding during auspicious occasions. Each Diya comes with a base with wick, a crystal spherical cover to give off an illuminating shadow effect when the diya is lit and a lid with a star carved design. The Borofood Akhand Diya set of 3 is priced at Rs.799 and available at flipkart.com.

Designed with high quality materials with excellent finishing the Ladoo Gopal Shringar Accessories Combo Set comes with a beautiful stone studded crown with a velcro closure for easy size adjustment, a matching designer stone studded mala, a designer metal flute and a flexible pair of kangans. The Laddu Gopal Shringar Accessories Combo Set can be used throughout the year on different occasions like Radha Ashtami, Janmashtami, Diwali, etc. Weighing 200gm, the combo set measures 10 x 8 x 5 cm, is priced at Rs. 499 and is available on amazon.in.

A combo hamper of Srimad Bhagvat Gita on a wooden book rest with an accompanying idol of Lord Krishna with his cow in oxidized metal is an extraordinary gift option on the occasion of Janmashtami. The stunning book rest wooden table enables reading all the shlokas and chapters in Mahabharata and Gita comfortably. In addition the idol of Lord Krishna standing with a flute in his hands in front of a cow makes for a Divine experience in all. The Lord Krishna idol measures 4in X 4in X 4in (l x b x h), while the Rehal Book Rest measures 10in X 4.5in X 2in (l x b x h) and made in wood. The Bhagvad Gita Book measures 8.5in X 5in X 2in (l x b x h) and the entire set is priced at Rs.1,250, available at igp.com.

The Govinda Gopala Janmastami Pooja Box from mypoojabox.in comes with 1 pooja box, a Ladoo Gopal idol in brass metal, one pom pom adorned thali in the auspicious colors of red and saffron, a Ladoo Gopal chowki carved in marbal and beautiful vibrant colors, a Ladoo Gopal bedding set made in red color, with gota hemming, 2 Ladoo Gopal dresses, one in gold color and the other multi-colored, a 40gm pack of Goloka Agarbatti, one dhoopbatti box, a roli & akshat, one moli, an aarti book and a Krishna peacock feather. The Puja Thali also includes 3 vessels for diya, kumkum and haldi on a mirror base and pearl lining with pompoms. The Janmashtami Puja Box is priced at Rs.2,500.

The Ladoo Gopal Backflow Incense Burner from Craftjunction is an 11cm decorative showpiece measuring 11cm and made of multicolored polyresin material. Measuring 8 cm x 11 cm x 7 cm in width, height and depth, the burner comes with Ladoo Gopal Idol perched atop the base colored black with blue clothing and gold plated jeweled accessories. Weighing 250gm, the water resistant Backflow incense burner creates an illusion of smoky waterfall with an incense cone placed on the top, owing to the special features of the incense cone, with the smoke flowing in reverse direction, ie., top to bottom. Priced at Rs.239, the Ladoo Gopal Backflow Incense Burner is available on flipkart.com.

A chanting box that can recite Krishna Maha Mantras in the background, will not only serve as an ideal gift for Lord Krishna’s devotees and help them learn the mantras to invoke his blessings, but also an excellent music box that can be kept in the background on the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami to play the mantras through the pooja ceremonies or every day to purify the surrounding environment. Colored white, the 25 in 1 Krishna Mantra Chanting Box measures 14cm in height, 4cm in width and 10cm in length made in metal with a beautiful and vibrantly colored image of Ladoo Gopal and two knobs on the side, one for switching it on/off and the other to adjust the volumes. The Krishna Mantra Chanting Box includes 25 mantras and 1 additional spool of all mantras, priced at Rs.549 and is available on snapdeal.com.

With a mind bending 3D Lamp Creation that makes for a super cool design element to any décor, the Radha Krishna 3D Illusion LED Lamp produces a hologram effect when the light from its base hits the acrylic surface, illuminating the Radha Krishna Figurines and also provides a gentle night light for easy visibility in the dark. The innovative design on the 3D optical illusion LED lamp comes with 16 colors LED setting which is also energy efficient, lasting for nearly 10,000 hours without overheating, making it a safe option. The lamp comes with a remote control feature that allows for one color use or a gradual alternate between the different 16 colors and white colorways as well. Measuring 10.2 x 10.2 x 17.8 cm and weighing 399gm, the Radha Krishna 3D Illusion LED Lamp is priced at Rs.1,019 and available at amazon.in.

Priced at Rs.4,449, the Radha Krishna Figurine presents the Divine couple with a beautiful peacock circling around the couple and all three are crafted with extensive attention to detail in gold plated finishing and multi colored stone crusting to make for decorative jeweled accessories. The white and gold contrast in addition to the intricate design of this beautiful showpiece makes for a beautiful gift item and quite a visual treat as an exhibit. Made in polyresin material, weighing 1455gm and measuring 22 x 14 x 30.5 cms, the Divine Radha Krishna With Peacock showpiece is available at mypoojabox.in.

The Aakarshan Radha Krishna Silk Painting is a red-shaded silk painting featuring Lord Krishna surrounded by his female companions or Gopikas as they were fondly called in the utopian forest of Madhuban. The painting brings out their beautiful oriental garments including flowing lehengas, blossoming trees and lotus rich lakes, adding to the richness, intricacy and vibrancy of the painting. Made with acrylic paints and shaped as a portrait, the Radha Krishna Silk Painting measures 20.5in X 15.8in X 0.5in (height x width) and is not framed, priced at Rs.625 and available on igp.com.

Janmashtami’s significance lies behind the verses in the Shrimad Bhagvat Gita that imply, whenever there’s pre-dominance of evil and religion declining, Lord Vishnu will reincarnate to banish the evil and restore goodwill. In celebrating Janmashtami, people like to decorate their homes, temples with lighting, flowers, purifying the atmosphere by chanting hymns and praises of the Lord. Here are few simple ways of celebrating this wonderful festival of love and unconditional brotherhood.