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Altar Backgrounds for Festivals Janmastami

janmashtami altar decoration peacock theme for shri radharaman temple deity with three peacocks stylized don the backdrop

Exploring different artistic inspiration for a special Krishna festival backdrop on the altar with a Krishna deity in front. Who better to look to than Shri Radharaman?

Shri Radharaman with his three peacock backdrop on a dark cloudy sky

After years hopping around in different hired halls to celebrate festivals and do elaborate set ups, this year I’ve been so happy to have a known venue but wouldn’t you know – I’ve been sick for the 2021 and 2022 Janmastami festivals?! Of all the luck!

Happily, I have been still contributing remotely, and this year my Janmashtami decoration plan for our big party of friends is to have a projection onto the wall behind Krishna deity.

By happy arrangement, I have been saving perfect examples of Krishna deity backdrops for years!! Both on Pinterest and Instagram and of course google images search, our BFF when it comes to inspirational research, am I right?!

What a fabulous opportunity to dig through past favorites, and guess who comes up as the instagram starrr? Shri Radharaman of course! Closely followed by Shri Rai HrdaiCharanBachan.

You just know that all this delicious decorations of the Lords temple room is too good to hoarde! Behold! And I’m sharing it with the world!

Shri Radharamanji’s altar ornamented by an exquisite peacock backdrop and magnificent cut palm decorations on the base.

shri radharaman deity altar with peacock theme and red drapes and specially cut palm decorations

Shri Radharaman is of course the Prince of Braja! His servants so nicely maintain a high standard of worship and invest so much loving energy into nicely preparing different decorations. This exquisite peacock style ornamented backdrop was to my knowledge, prepared by volunteer devotees on a painted panel. The exquisite mesh phula style (netted panel) decorations from fresh jasmine buds are finely done and a great artistic panel of palm cutwork. I became interested in this style of ornamentation and asked friends in India about it and they imparted that it is made from a special type of palm which is harvested and cut locally. It looks like mother of pearl!

I think that this was inspired by the peacock gates of Jaipur…

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce5U6aJskAx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link image attribution to instagram account for Jaipur peacock gates

Ornate cooling backdrop in blue for Shri Radharaman altar festival

blue mughal style altar background for krishna diety festival shri radhraman murti on blue backdrop

Shri Radharaman was offered this ornate backdrop and the entire design of three arches executed in blue and white is completely stunning. I would love to recreate this bold and striking look in a hot summer for my home altar. I can see, with a little mathematical precicison you could paint it up just same.

overview of shri radhraman temple with indigo blue altar backdrop and temple arches

The overall stylistic choices for this are exquisite! The yellow and white and green compliment the mediterranean blue very nicely for this altar backdrop at shri Radharamanji’s temple.

Glorious Mango Tree in gold stylistic look on a greyish green backdrop with the jasmine hut frame

a silkey grey and green backdrop with a mango tree and phula of jasmine skirt frame at shri radharaman temple altar backdrop

Another artistically excellent altar backdrop prepared by Rajatdraws for Shri Radharaman’s temple. The stencil style gold outline of the backdrop is exquisitely offset with the inky grey green (is that a eucalypt green?) backdrop, and Shri Radharamanlals garlands are in regal red. For this occassion they have dispensed with his silver throne!

Glorious thunder of cows on dusty Vrindavan backdrop

red cows passing through illustratied backdrop on shri radharaman temple altar

Extraordinary Vrindavan scene – the clouds above echo the cows like clouds and all the suggested dust of Brindavan and blue hues of the Jamuna river indicated in this stylistic masterpiece installed at Shri Radharaman’s temple in Vrindavan.

The artistic brilliance of this altar decoration is unparalled. It is daring, inspired, and masterfully executed. The turmeric color of the cows is echoed in the bottom panel ornamentation.

Cows Shrinathji style backdrop in red

red backdrop with stencilled gold cows shri radharaman temple

Carefully appreciate the genius of this decoration set up for Shri Radharaman, the cowherd boy prince of Braj!

The gold stencilled cows echo a traditional Pichawai style or Nathji style backdrop for Shri Radharaman, while his simple shrouded gold half circle backdrop, golden umbrella and gold linen dhoti allow our radiant dark Lord to be the undoubted jewel in this golden red setting.

DIY at home throne in lotus look to get STAR effect backdrop

lotus flower and pink backdrop

This pink backdrop in a real lotus pink with the white cut palm hearts and jasmine strands is perfection. Look closely at Shri Radharaman’s traditional indian print fabric shorts. So charming! Even his silver throne has been replaced with a created lotus cutwork one.

This is great inspiration to DIY at home, if you have been looking desparingly at Shri Radharaman’s opulent silver throne as long as I have! DIY it with a lotus theme!

LOTUS THEME glorious backdrop in pink for Shri Radharaman altar

lotus work radiant effulgence backdrop for shri radharaman altar

I regret not having a better still for this amazing altar capture. I will try and go back through his account and find a better photo to share. This still is taken from a video on instagram.

The actual work is stupendous. The photo is not!

Appreciate the Luxury of this charming arch on altar

peach and green backdrop for shri radharaman

all peaches and white/greens, this altar is sublime and offests Shri Radharaman so beautifully. much of the work is freshly done.

Oranges and strings of marigolds

Shri Radharaman is inimitable here in chandan yatra all hues of saffron and chandan.

Special backdrop for Shri Rai Hridiharan Chandrabhaan

special altar backdrop
the only place I have seen photos of this exquisite deity is here; https://www.instagram.com/samrat108/

Exquisite backdrop for the Lord Shri Rai Hridiharan Chandrabhaan – so interesting to see in progress this artist at work!

backdrop being painted
backdrop in construction https://www.instagram.com/p/CEObhSkF2M4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Clusters of lotus decorate this 3 step backdrop for Radha Krishna – perfect for summer heatwave

lotus backdrop and lotus step for radharani and krishna deities altar

Simple altar backdrops of lotus flowers for Radha Krishna traditional altar

lotus backdrop

Very nicely presented this simple pretty painted lotus backdrop is too sweet not to share.

New artistic heights acheived by design company Decor by Krishna – Banana palms and lotus!

http://www.decorbykrishna.com

I really appreciate the simple and eco-friendly aesthetic of this company. They started small but now have branches accross the world. This is from their mission statement:

How are we achieving this? Its simple, we go with traditional and evergreen designs with fresh fragrant local flowers, coconut leaves, banana leaves. These designs are timetested and give a huge positive response from clients. 

https://decorbykrishna.com/

You can’t look past the strong ZING of fresh greens! Would make a charming altar backdrop or background to do at home for nearly nothing. Fresh is fun!

tilak backdrop design by decor by krishna company

While this is a large event set up I could totally see it being reflected in a festival altar.

One more stunning design from Shri Radharamanaltar backdrop inspo files:

A pair of gopis flank Shri Radharaman in his little jasmine strung tent.
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Krishna’s cow friends join Him on the Altar

Krishna deity with large surabhi cow behind him and twin deer at his lotus feet. deity of krishna on altar with blue background and teal carpet

Have you started collecting cows for Krishna?

It seems like all the Vaishnava devotees soon enough start finding that cows remind them of Krishna, and so a little hunt begins. My sister has collection of what I would call mexican painted cows that have marched along her mantle for many years. I wish I had a photo to show you!

Gopala –  Gopala means “cowherd”—go means “cow,” and pala means “protector.” 

Shri Vanvihari Krishna deity dressed in red with Gaura Nitai deities and behind Krishna a large surabhi cow with full milk bags. Altar decorated witha  mirror and vases and silver lanterns above
Here’s my altar when I had Surabhi cow visiting and also two sweet deer nestled up to Krishna’s lotus feet.

Have you seen my altar? I have been looking for cows for my sweet Krishna deity, Sri Sri Vanvihari Krishna – and of course I have been infused with the Surabhi Cow enthusiasm of all of Krishna’s devotees!!

Gopala, our lover of the cows and the cowherd maidens of Braj, is beloved by everyone, and what sweeter way to worship our deer lord than to offer Krishna’s cows to accompany Him on the altar?! I am still working on the perfect Surabhi to offer, but in the meantime my collection has grown quite vast!

Recently a friend reached out wanting to order some of the cows they have seen in my collection online, and I took some photos to give them a size reference, and thought I would share the photos with you! Why not, when it’s such a thing to set up the photos already, right?

Krishna’s cows come in all shapes and sizes!

Just a few from my collection – the Syamasundar Krishna deity is 13′ for those of you who will ask
You can definately order these deer – while I have a second pair. One set live with Krishna on my altar!

Collectable cows are fun too!

Another friend has little milk jugs in the shape of a cow, and offers them to Krishna with milk!

Vintage delft wear porcelain jug in shape of cow to store and pour milk from etsy collectable cows
https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/967648877/delft-blue-creamer-in-the-shape-of-a-cow?gpla=1&gao=1&

I found this one on Etsy – super cute with little painted blue flowers – I love love vintage ceramics and I also love flowers! So this little cow is the cutest and now I’ve found, I would LOVE to buy Him. Except my house is kind of exploding at the edges under my collections of CUTE so maybe not. Maybe one of you will take him/her home. Follow the link to find where to buy (etsy).

That time I made Krishna’s cows as little necklaces….

These little cow pendants were inspired by a friend whose daughter, the same age as mine, is named Surabhi. It made me very happy to see Surabhi wearing a Surabhi Cow necklace! I still have a few left and I would LOVE to see you or your loved one wearing a Krishna’s cow pendant too! Order here: Surabhi cow necklace pendant V2

I would LOVE to see what cows you have found for you Surabhi Cow Collection, email me a photo and I can put together a little blog post to inspire us all!

LOVE,

your friend, Sita