By Paras Ramoutar
Port-of-Spain, Aug 14 (IANS) Devout Hindus turned out in large numbers at the over 200 temples across Trinidad and Tobago for celebrations to mark Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna, which began Thursday evening and went on till early Friday. Hindus of Indian origin form about 40 percent of the population in this country.

For several days now, Hindus have been refurbishing and cleaning their homes in preparation for the festival.

Families made offerings of flowers, sweets and small cucumbers that are representative of Lord Krishna at temples to mark Janmashtami.

Celebrations began at 6 p.m. Thursday and continued until 6 a.m. Friday, with the chanting of bhajans and recitation of the Bhagavad Gita.

Ramesh Tiwari, spiritual leader of the Edinburgh Hindu Temple, said that Lord Krishna was “the unchallenged hero of his time in terms of his prowess as an archer and his intellectual brilliance”.

Lord Krishna is worshipped by the country’s over 300,000 Hindus. The Bhagavad Gita is also highly revered in this twin-island republic and Hindus use it to take oaths of truthfulness when giving evidence in courts and in taking public office.

Winston Dookeran, leader of the Congress of the People, said that Lord Krishna’s teachings as enunciated in the Gita “remain the guiding light for freedom, democracy and truth in the world society”.

The Indian diaspora here came from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between 1845 and 1917. Hinduism and its practices remain an integral part of their lives.