Summer in Vrindavan may be excruciatingly hot, but that doesn’t stop the devotees from celebrating the most delightful festivals for Shri Radha and Krishna. One such summer festival, the Jal Yatra, was recently celebrated in the temples throughout Vrindavan. Jal Yatra comes every year on the full moon of the Jyeshtha month. During this festival fountains or showers are installed on the altar to sprinkle Shri Radha and Krishna with cool water.
Some temples have a kund in the courtyard where ThakurJi goes for a boat ride while in other temples there are fountains that sprinkle the deity with water. At the Shri Radha Raman temple this year, greenery adorned the altar in the form of a kalpa vriskh or a wish fulfilling tree, bearing all kinds of fruits. The temple was absolutely packed with devotees who were trying to catch a glimpse of the Lord.
All major temples of Vrindavan celebrated this festival. The ShahJi Mandir also displayed its famous multicolored fountains for the pleasure of the divine couple. This Jal Yatra also coincides with the Snan Yatra in Puri, Orissa. Snan Yatra is considered to be the birthday of Jagannath Dev.
