Kolkata, Aug 14 - Thousands of devotees gathered at the ISKCON temple in West Bengal's Nadia district as Janmashtami, the festival that marks the birth of Lord Krishna, was celebrated.

On Thursday midnight, the exact time when Krishna was born, people prayed at temples, and thousands gathered to sing hymns in the festive atmosphere of Nadia district's Mayapur, housing the global headquarters of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).

Since Thursday morning, people fasted, prepared various special sweets and sang hymns, blew conch shells and rocked the cradle of Lord Krishna.

A large number of people also visited the ISKCON temple at Albert Road in Kolkata for the special prayers at midnight.

A variety of cultural programs were held in different parts of the state, including Kolkata.

Fancy dress competitions with children dressed like Krishna, sit and draw competitions where children drew his pictures, and other cultural programmes were organised to celebrate the occasion.