Behind bars to divine garbs: Mathura prisoners dress lord Krishna

Lord Krishna in the iconic Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan will dress up in clothes made by prisoners in Uttar Pradesh this Janmashtami.

UP prison and home guards Minister Dharamveer Prajapati said the clothes prepared for Banke Bihari ji included lehenga, pichawai (a cloth that hangs in the background), odhani and bichauna (a cloth on which Banke Bihari ji is placed), kamarband (waistband) and chotila (head gear).

He said these items had been made by eight prisoners of Mathura district jail in a week.

Prajapati said the prisoners used different types of designer cloth with exclusive coloured embroidery. He said the prisoners were also paid for preparing these clothes for Lord Krishna.

The minister informed that the Mathura prisoners had been making these clothes for Shri Krishna Janmashtami every year but this year they expressed their desire to prepare clothes for Banke Bihari.

He said the jail authorities approached the head priest of Banke Bihari temple and shared the prisoners’ desire.

“The inmates were asked to prepare these clothes after getting consent from the head priest,” he said.

Jail minister Prajapati along with the Mathura jail superintendent will go to Banke Bihari temple on Wednesday, 6 September and hand over the dress prepared by the prisoners to the head priest of the temple. The minister will offer prayers at the temple on Janmashtami.