New Delhi, Aug 13 - Swine flu may be uppermost on their minds, but residents of the capital are giving in to the enthusiasm of Janmashtami that will mark the birthday of Lord Krishna, one of the most popular Hindu gods, Friday.

Outside temples like central Delhi's Lakshmi Narayan Mandir - popularly called Birla Mandir - dedicated to the cowherd god, tents are being put up to cater to hundreds of devotees who will queue up long before sunrise, since Krishna is believed to have been born at midnight.

The shrines are being decorated with flowers. Food stalls are also being set up.

This year, however, a number of people are thinking of not visiting temples, and just praying at home instead, to avoid the crowds as there have been over 300 cases of swine flu in the city.

Aruna Sharma, a homemaker, said: 'Janmashtami begins with a daylong fast. We make different kinds of sweets like halwa, jalebi and kheer and decorate the house through the day and bathe Krishna's idol in milk.