Sree Padmanabha Swamy's Mahasobhayatra

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If butter was Lord Krishna’s favourite, the little Krishnas lined up for the Maha Sobhayathra procession here on Sunday evening opted for Frooti and Wonder Cake before starting off on a long walk from Palayam to the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple.

Tiny tots in sparkling garbs of Lord Krishna, Radha and various gods and goddesses gathered on the streets to participate in the annual procession conducted by Balagokulam.

Six-month old babies to 12-year-olds were part of the procession taken out as part of the Sreekrishna Jayanthi celebrations.

Krishnapriya Hariprasad, a first standard student of Carmel Girls Higher Secondary School, was wrapped in a pretty white saree with an ‘ektara’ in her left hand and a small idol of Sree Krishna on the other. Krishnapriya, who was accompanied by her mother, is apparently a veteran at playing Meera Bai. This is for the fourth time that the six-year-old is appearing as the mystical singer, the last three times was at her school.

"We wanted to do something different. Usually, everybody appears as either gods or goddesses. The devotees also should be remembered on this occasion. That is why I brought my daughter dressed up as Meera Bai,’’ reasoned Dr Mini Hariprasad, Krishnapriya’s mother.

Nearby, one-and-a-half-year-old Rishikesh Krishna was seen trying to unravel the mystery of the flute. Clueless, he, however, had a faint idea that it had something to do with placing it between the lips.

Amid the cacophony of announcements and the bustling excitement of musical instruments, the tiny tots were the subject of the day for the media and foreign tourists who jostled to take their photographs.

Adithya Varma, member of Travancore Royal family, inaugurated the procession by garlanding the idol of Lord Krishna at Palayam. Around 30,000 children were part of the Maha Sobhayathra that started from the Sree Sakthi Vinayaka Temple and concluded before the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple, according to Balagokulam district president Mukkampalamoodu Radhakrishnan. As many as 55 women dressed up in the traditional Kerala attire too were part of the event.

‘Upa Sobhayathras’ which began from Hanuman temple at PMG Junction, Museum, Corporation Office, Press Club, Housing Board Junction, Women’s College Junction, GPO, General Hospital Junction and Vanchiyoor Convent Road merged into a grand procession in front of the Vinayaka temple at Palayam.

‘Chenda melam’, ‘Pancha vadyam’, ‘Muthukkuda’, native art forms and ‘bhajan’ groups too accompanied. The procession was accompanied by floats on various themes based on Krishna’s Avatar.