Over 9000 people attended this year's celebrations at the Houston ISKCON temple / ISKCON Houston

The Houston temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was filled with music, prayer, and celebration this past weekend as thousands of devotees gathered to mark Janmashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna.

On Aug. 16, more than 9,000 people came to the temple grounds, making this one of the largest Janmashtami gatherings in the country.

“It was a really magnificent event,” said Sarang Thakur, ISKCON Temple President. “We had record breaking attendance. Even during our morning hours, we had almost 1,500 plus people come through to take darshan. I think only the Washington D.C. ISKCON event was bigger.”

Last year’s attendance was estimated at 7,000.

Before exploring the stalls and food booths set up outside, attendees first paid their respects to the temple deities inside the spacious sanctuary. Volunteers greeted attendees by applying a U-shaped sandalwood tilak on their foreheads.

Despite long lines, volunteers and priests kept the atmosphere festive with music, drumming, chanting and singing. At one point, devotees formed a circle, singing and dancing to bells and percussion.

“The best way to celebrate is by chanting Krishna’s holy name and dancing, so that's what we are doing,” said temple priest Madhav Charan Das “We are chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, which was introduced by Chaitanya Maha Prabhu.”

Costume Contest

In the cultural hall, children dressed as little Krishnas, Radhas and other characters from Krishna’s life took the stage for the annual costume contest hosted by Hindus of Greater Houston.

The contest was organized by Shital Rathi and emceed by Girish Naik and Yajat Bhargav. It drew more than 140 participants this year.
“Participants ranged from just two months old to 13 years, across three different age groups,” said Rathi. “This contest has always been very close to my heart, and this year marks my 13th year serving as the costume coordinator with HGH.

Preparations usually begin about six weeks in advance — from handling registrations and coordinating with the temple team to managing countless other details, she said.

“But when I see all the adorable participants shining on stage, it truly makes every bit of effort worthwhile for everyone involved,” she said. 

The tradition has carried across generations: Girish Naik once brought his daughter Radhika to participate, and now she brings her own daughter, Rulanni Selena Buggage. 

In the 1990s, longtime members Vijay and Sushma Pallod proudly watched their three children step onto the stage for the costume contest. Decades later, the tradition has come full circle, with their four grandchildren now carrying it forward.

The contest was judged by a panel of three: Rajeshri Jadhav, Ananya Bhakti Devi (Ambika) and Pooja Shah, a player on the USA cricket team.

“I judged around 140 kids, each one dressed in their own vision of Radha and Krishna and it was wonderful to see the effort the kids and the parents put into the costume to make the theme come to life,” Shah said.

The celebration featured attractions like fancy dress competition for children / Juhi Varma

Ziva Dangre, 6, was participating for the fifth continuous year, dressed as Krishna in bright blue paint.

“We are visiting from Michigan and our friends told us about this event,” said first-time attendee Jessica Pilagala, whose son Vaughn was dressed as Krishna. “I think it’s nice to come to places that are religious, there is a peace every time I go to a church or temple, I wish peace upon everyone here.”
 
Brothers Raman, 10, and Rohan Soni, 7, took the stage dressed as Sudama and Krishna. “Raman has always played Krishna,” their mother shared, “but today he wanted to support his younger brother by taking on the role of Sudama.”

“It was great to see so many people from different organizations in Houston come together to celebrate this festival enthusiastically,” Shah said.

Preparing for Thousands: Volunteers in Action
Behind the scenes, nearly 300 volunteers worked tirelessly for over 5,000 hours to manage crowds, cook meals for thousands, and coordinate parking, Thakur said.

Because of limited on-site parking, the temple used bus cruises to transport attendees from nearby lots. More than 3,000 parking spaces had been made available for the event.

Volunteers came not only from ISKCON’s congregation but also from Hindus of Greater Houston, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, and the Leuva Patidar Samaj.

“Preparations have been going on for months, we cooked food for 8,000 people,” said Sanjay Sijapati who volunteers regularly at the temple. 

“Everyone is invited to volunteer, they send out a Google sheet and you can register, tell them what you want to do.”

For many, the highlight of the festival came at midnight — the moment marking Lord Krishna’s birth. Volunteer Abhay Joshi, who spent nearly two days overseeing sound and video operations, described the atmosphere inside the temple:

“At midnight the temple is completely dark, and everyone is singing in unison,” said Joshi, a software consultant and Cypress resident. “Then the curtain opens, and you see Krishna. If you haven’t experienced it, it’s truly unique. Every year I stay until that moment.”

“We normally schedule everything from 6-9 p.m., but last night our volunteers were busy until much later, because there were long lines--people were still coming,” said Thakur.

The event also welcomed numerous local dignitaries, including Renu Khator, president of the University of Houston, Fort Bend County Commissioners Andy Meyers (Precinct 3) and Dexter McCoy (Precinct 4), Sugar Land City Council member Sanjay Singhal, Houston Police Chief J.N. Diaz, and Assistant Police Chief Adam Colley.

“It was outstanding,” said Commissioner Meyers. “I was so honored and privileged to be part of this. Certainly going to do it again next year.”

“It is a very special invitation for us,” said Chief Diaz. “This is my second time coming to the temper. For me, it's about understanding, being part of the community, and learning from the community and just sharing the kindness back and forth. And I'm always looking to meet new people.”

This year marked what is believed to be Lord Krishna’s 5,252nd birth anniversary.