Festival · 2026
Dattatreya Jayanti 2026 — Wednesday, 23 December 2026
Dattatreya Jayanti celebrates the birth of Datta, revered as the union of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and as the first teacher, at dusk on the full moon of Margashirsha.
In 2026
Wednesday, 23 December 2026
- Tithi
- Purnima: 23 Dec, 10:47 AM – 24 Dec, 6:58 AM
- Lunar month
- Margashirsha
- Sunrise / sunset
- 7:10 AM / 5:29 PM
| Puja muhurat | 5:29 PM – 8:13 PM |
|---|---|
| Pradosh kaal | 5:29 PM – 8:13 PM |
Rule: Margashirsha Purnima prevailing at pradosh, the dusk of Dattatreya’s birth; if on both days, the first.
In 2027
Monday, 13 December 2027
- Tithi
- Purnima: 12 Dec, 11:55 PM – 13 Dec, 9:38 PM
- Lunar month
- Margashirsha
- Sunrise / sunset
- 7:04 AM / 5:25 PM
| Puja muhurat | 5:25 PM – 8:09 PM |
|---|---|
| Pradosh kaal | 5:25 PM – 8:09 PM |
Rule: Margashirsha Purnima prevailing at pradosh, the dusk of Dattatreya’s birth; if on both days, the first.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Dattatreya Jayanti?
Dattatreya, called Datta or Shri Gurudev Datta by his devotees, is one of the most loved figures of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat. He is revered as the three great gods in one, and is pictured with three heads, six arms, a cow standing behind him and four dogs at his feet, often beneath an audumbar, the cluster fig tree. The cow is read as the earth and the four dogs as the four Vedas.
The popular story of his birth centres on Anasuya, wife of the sage Atri, whose devotion was so famous that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva came to her hermitage in the guise of mendicants to test it. By the power of her purity she turned them into infants and cared for them as a mother. When their consorts came asking for them, Anasuya restored them, and the three gods, pleased, granted that they would be born as her son. Dattatreya, the one given, son of Atri, is that child. His birth is celebrated at dusk, when the full moon of Margashirsha rises.
Datta is above all the guru. In the Bhagavata Purana an avadhuta, identified with Dattatreya, tells King Yadu that he learned from twenty-four teachers in nature, among them the earth, the wind, the sky, the ocean, the moth, the honeybee and the child. The Avadhuta Gita, a song of the free spirit, is attributed to him. In the Datta tradition, Shripad Shrivallabh of Pithapuram and Narasimha Saraswati of Ganagapur are regarded as his incarnations, and later saints such as Swami Samarth of Akkalkot and Manik Prabhu are held in the same line.
The Gurucharitra, a Marathi text by Saraswati Gangadhar about the lives of Shripad Shrivallabh and Narasimha Saraswati, is central to the festival. Many devotees read the whole of it over seven days, finishing on the Jayanti. On the evening itself temples hold the birth celebration with a cradle, songs and aarti, and the chant Digambara Digambara Shripad Vallabh Digambara is heard everywhere.
How it is observed
- Many devotees read the Gurucharitra over the seven days before the Jayanti, completing it on the day itself.
- At dusk the birth of Datta is celebrated in temples and homes with a decorated cradle, songs and aarti.
- The chant Digambara Digambara Shripad Vallabh Digambara and the Datta aarti are sung.
- Offerings include flowers, tulsi, sweets and a simple meal; some keep a fast until the evening celebration.
- Pilgrims visit Ganagapur, Narsobawadi, Audumbar, Pithapuram, Akkalkot, Mahur and the Datta peak of Girnar.
- Food is shared with visitors, and in keeping with Datta’s companions, many also feed cows and dogs.
How the date is fixed
Dattatreya Jayanti is Margashirsha Purnima, the full moon that closes the bright half of Margashirsha, so the month is the same in amanta and purnimanta calendars. Datta is believed to have been born at dusk, so the day is the one on which Purnima is present at pradosh, the period just after sunset. If Purnima is present at pradosh on two evenings, the first of them is taken. Because of this, Datta Jayanti can fall a day before the Purnima that some calendars show for the full-moon fast or bath.
Where practice differs
The festival is strongest in Maharashtra and north Karnataka. Ganagapur in Kalaburagi district, where Narasimha Saraswati lived, and Narsobawadi and Audumbar on the Krishna river draw very large crowds, as do Akkalkot and Mahur. In Andhra Pradesh Pithapuram, the birthplace of Shripad Shrivallabh, is the main centre, and in Gujarat pilgrims climb to the Datta peak of Girnar. In Goa and the Konkan temples hold week-long festivals. Many Datta temples begin their celebrations some days before the full moon, and some mathas follow their own almanacs for the exact day. In north India Datta is known mainly through the Puranas and the Bhagavata, and the Jayanti is kept more quietly.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Who is Lord Dattatreya?
Dattatreya is the son of the sage Atri and Anasuya, revered as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in one form and as the original guru. He is shown with three heads, six arms, a cow and four dogs.
Why is Datta Jayanti celebrated in the evening?
Datta is believed to have been born at dusk on the full moon of Margashirsha, so the birth celebration with the cradle and aarti is held at sunset, and the date is fixed by the Purnima at that hour.
What is the Gurucharitra parayan?
It is the reading of the Gurucharitra, the Marathi account of Shripad Shrivallabh and Narasimha Saraswati, usually over seven days. Many devotees time it to end on Datta Jayanti.
What are the twenty-four gurus of Dattatreya?
In the Bhagavata Purana the avadhuta names twenty-four teachers he learned from in nature and daily life, including the earth, water, fire, the moon, the sun, the python, the honeybee, the elephant and a child.