President Kovind, PM Modi extend Janmashtami greetings

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday extended greetings to the nation on the occasion of Janmashtami.

Taking to his twitter handle, President Kovind appealed to citizens to follow the path of virtue and righteousness in thought, word, and deed.

"Greetings and good wishes to fellow citizens on the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami. The teachings of Lord Krishna have a universal message - Nishkam Karma. May this festival inspire us to follow the path of virtue and righteousness in thought, word and deed," the President tweeted.

The Prime Minister tweeted "Janmashtami greetings to everyone."

Janmashtami is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. As per the Hindu calendar, Lord Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, was born on the eighth day of the month of Bhadra. The day mostly falls in the months of August or September as per the Western calendar.

The festival is celebrated by offering prayers to Lord Krishna, with beautifully decorated swings, dance and music performances and Dahi Handi competition.

In Mathura, which is considered to be the birthplace or 'Janmabhoomi' of Lord Krishna, devotees thronged temples in large numbers to offer prayers on the auspicious occasion.

In Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, children were seen dressed up in festive attire.

Delhi's ISKCON temple was also decked up on the occasion.

In Nepal, a Krishna temple in Lalitpur, which was damaged by the earthquake in 2015, reopened after three-years on the occasion.