BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Mayfair, Johannesburg hosted a celebration of Shri Krishna Janmashtmi with great fanfare on Sunday 24 August 2008. Many devotees of the Hindu community from all over greater Johannesburg attended to express their devotion and reverence.
The celebrations spanned through the entire day, commencing with shangar arti at 7:00 am. A grand Mahapuja for World Peace was held during the morning, in which devotees from Laudium, Rustenburg, Benoni and other areas participated. The underlying significance of each mahapuja ritual was explained at each step of the ceremony.
Over 400 people attended the main celebration assembly which took place at 7:30pm. The celebrations included bhajans by the Yuvak Mandal and a drama by the Kishore Mandal titled, 'Bhakta Bhala Bhagwan'. This drama expressed the glory of the great devotees of Shri Krishna, such as, Narsinh Mehta, Mirabai, Surdas and Tukaram. Children of the Bal Mandal presented a rendition on the tabla. The celebration culminated with arti and the birth celebrations.