Festival · 2026
Krishna Janmashtami 2026 — Friday, 4 September 2026
Janmashtami marks the midnight birth of Krishna on the eighth day of the waning moon, kept with a fast, bhajans and a puja at nishita kaal.
In 2026
Friday, 4 September 2026
- Tithi
- Krishna Ashtami (Krishna): 4 Sep, 2:25 AM – 5 Sep, 12:14 AM
- Lunar month
- Bhadrapada (purnimanta) / Shravana (amanta)
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:00 AM / 6:39 PM
| Puja muhurat | 11:57 PM – 5 Sep, 12:14 AM |
|---|---|
| Nishita kaal | 11:57 PM – 5 Sep, 12:42 AM |
| Rohini nakshatra | 12:29 AM – 11:04 PM |
Rule: Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami (Shravana in the amanta reckoning) prevailing at nishita, Krishna’s midnight birth (Smarta rule).
In 2027
Tuesday, 24 August 2027
- Tithi
- Krishna Ashtami (Krishna): 24 Aug, 8:25 PM – 25 Aug, 7:20 PM
- Lunar month
- Bhadrapada (purnimanta) / Shravana (amanta)
- Sunrise / sunset
- 5:54 AM / 6:51 PM
| Puja muhurat | 25 Aug, 12:01 AM – 25 Aug, 12:45 AM |
|---|---|
| Nishita kaal | 25 Aug, 12:01 AM – 25 Aug, 12:45 AM |
| Rohini nakshatra | 25 Aug, 12:28 PM – 26 Aug, 11:42 AM |
Rule: Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami (Shravana in the amanta reckoning) prevailing at nishita, Krishna’s midnight birth (Smarta rule).
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 Krishna Janmashtami?
Janmashtami celebrates the birth of Krishna, whom devotees revere as the eighth avatar of Vishnu. It falls on Ashtami, the eighth day of the waning moon, in the month called Bhadrapada in the north and Shravana in the amanta reckoning of the west and south. Because Krishna is said to have been born at midnight, the central puja is held at nishita kaal, the muhurta around midnight, and many devotees stay awake until then.
The story is told in the Bhagavata Purana. Kamsa, the tyrant king of Mathura, imprisoned his sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva after a prophecy that their eighth child would kill him. When Krishna was born in the prison at midnight, the guards fell asleep and the doors opened. Vasudeva carried the infant across the flooded Yamuna to Gokul, where Nanda and Yashoda raised him as their own.
For many families Janmashtami is less about the prophecy than about the child: the butter-stealing boy of Gokul, the cowherd who lifts Govardhan hill, the friend who speaks the Gita to Arjuna. Homes rock a small cradle at midnight, temples overflow with devotees, and the next day often brings Dahi Handi and Nandotsav. It is a festival of devotion that most people experience simply as joy.
How it is observed
- Many devotees fast through the day, some without grain, some on fruit and milk, and break the fast after the midnight puja or, in some traditions, the next morning.
- Homes and temples decorate a cradle for Bal Gopal and set up jhankis showing scenes from Krishna’s life.
- At nishita kaal the idol of Laddu Gopal is bathed in panchamrit, dressed in new clothes and placed in the cradle.
- Bhajans and kirtan continue through the evening, and the conch is blown at the moment of birth.
- Offerings include makhan-mishri, dhaniya panjiri and, in many temples, dozens of dishes.
- The next day, teams in Maharashtra and elsewhere form human pyramids to break the Dahi Handi.
- Children dress as Krishna and Radha, and schools and housing societies hold small performances.
How the date is fixed
Janmashtami is Krishna Paksha Ashtami of Bhadrapada (Shravana in the amanta reckoning). Following the Smarta rule, our engine picks the day on which Ashtami prevails at nishita kaal, the midnight muhurta, since that is the hour of Krishna’s birth. If Ashtami covers nishita kaal on both nights, the first night is taken.
Where practice differs
The date on this page follows the Smarta rule. ISKCON and many Vaishnava communities often keep Janmashtami on the next day, following Ashtami at sunrise (udaya ashtami) together with the Rohini nakshatra, so in some years calendars show two dates and each is correct within its tradition. Mathura and Vrindavan celebrate on the grandest scale, Maharashtra is known for Dahi Handi on Gokulashtami, and in the south the day is Gokulashtami or Sri Jayanti, with tiny footprints of the child Krishna drawn at the doorway.
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
Why are there two Janmashtami dates in some years?
Smarta households follow Ashtami at midnight, while ISKCON and many Vaishnava groups follow Ashtami at sunrise together with the Rohini nakshatra, which often falls on the next day. Both follow established traditions.
When is the Janmashtami fast broken?
Most devotees break it after the midnight puja at nishita kaal; in some traditions it is broken the next morning. Follow your family or temple custom.
What is nishita kaal?
It is the muhurta around midnight, the hour at which Krishna is said to have been born. The main Janmashtami puja is done in this window.