Festival · 2027

Shani Jayanti 2027 — Friday, 4 June 2027

Shani Jayanti is the new-Moon day of Jyeshtha on which tradition remembers the birth of Shani Dev, the deity of the planet Saturn, and honours him with oil, sesame and quiet prayer.

In 2026

Saturday, 16 May 2026

Tithi: Amavasya: 16 May, 5:11 AM – 17 May, 1:31 AM
Lunar month: Jyeshtha (purnimanta) / Vaishakha (amanta)
Sunrise / sunset: 5:29 AM / 7:05 PM

Rule: Jyeshtha Amavasya (Vaishakha in the amanta reckoning) at sunrise.

In 2027

Friday, 4 June 2027

Tithi: Amavasya: 4 Jun, 4:05 AM – 5 Jun, 1:10 AM
Lunar month: Jyeshtha (purnimanta) / Vaishakha (amanta)
Sunrise / sunset: 5:23 AM / 7:15 PM

Rule: Jyeshtha Amavasya (Vaishakha in the amanta reckoning) at sunrise.

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 Shani Jayanti?

Shani Jayanti, also called Shani Amavasya of Jyeshtha or Shanishchara Jayanti, is the day on which Shani Dev is said to have been born. Shani is both a deity and one of the nine grahas of Jyotisha, the planet Saturn. Because Saturn moves slowly, taking about two and a half years to cross one sign of the zodiac, he is linked in the tradition with patience, time, steady work and the fruit of one’s own actions.

The Puranas tell of his birth in the family of the Sun. Surya’s wife Sanjna, unable to bear her husband’s brilliance, left her own shadow, Chhaya, in her place and went away to practise austerity. Shani was born to Chhaya and Surya. The Markandeya Purana and the Vishnu Purana tell this story of Sanjna and Chhaya, and popular retellings add that the child was dark and that his relationship with his father was a difficult one.

In the Skanda Purana’s Kashi Khanda, Shani worships Shiva at Kashi and is granted a place among the planets. In devotional teaching he is Karmaphaladata, the one who gives the results of deeds, and Nyayadhish, the judge who is fair to all. For this reason many people speak of Shani with respect rather than fear: he is seen as a strict but just teacher who rewards honest effort, humility and care for those who have less.

Hanuman is closely linked with Shani in popular devotion, and many who visit a Shani shrine also visit Hanuman on the same day. The best-known Shani temple is at Shani Shingnapur in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra, where the deity is a black stone slab standing in the open, with no roof over it. Kokilavan near Mathura, the Shani temple at Thirunallar near Karaikal, and many smaller shrines hold large gatherings on this day.

How it is observed

Offering mustard or sesame oil to the image or stone of Shani Dev, often by pouring it gently over the deity.
Lighting a lamp of sesame oil, frequently under a peepal tree in the evening.
Offering black sesame, black urad dal, dark cloth or iron items, which are customarily linked with Shani.
Reciting the Shani Chalisa, the Shani stotra of King Dasharatha, or simply the name of Shani Dev.
Giving food, clothes, footwear or oil to people who work hard for little, a custom tradition connects with Shani’s care for the poor.
Keeping a fast or a simple meal for the day, and visiting a Hanuman temple as well.

How the date is fixed

Shani Jayanti falls on the Amavasya, the new-Moon tithi, that ends the dark half of Jyeshtha as north Indian calendars name it. North India counts months from full Moon to full Moon (purnimanta), so it calls this Jyeshtha Amavasya; calendars that count from new Moon to new Moon (amanta) call the very same tithi Vaishakha Amavasya. Our calendar keeps the day on which this Amavasya is current at sunrise. South India, which follows the amanta months, keeps Shani Jayanti on Vaishakha Amavasya, and that is the same day: only the name of the month differs, not the date.

Where practice differs

The day is kept most widely in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Haryana, and the crowds at Shani Shingnapur are among the largest of the year. In north India the same Amavasya is also Vat Savitri Vrat, so many households keep both on one day. In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the Thirunallar temple is best known for the days when Saturn changes sign rather than for this Jayanti. Some families honour Shani mainly on Saturdays through the year, and a Jayanti that falls on a Saturday is thought especially fitting.

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 Shani Dev?

Shani Dev is the deity of the planet Saturn and one of the nine grahas. In the Puranas he is the son of Surya and Chhaya. Devotees see him as a just teacher who gives the results of one’s own actions and values patience, honesty and humility.

Why is oil offered to Shani Dev?

It is a long-standing custom, especially at Shani Shingnapur, to pour mustard or sesame oil over the deity. A popular story says Hanuman soothed Shani’s aching body with oil, and the offering is made in that spirit of care and devotion.

Is Shani Jayanti on Amavasya every time?

Yes. It is always the new-Moon tithi of Jyeshtha in north Indian naming, which amanta calendars call Vaishakha Amavasya. The page above shows the day on which that Amavasya holds at sunrise for your place.

Is Shani Jayanti a day to be afraid of?

No. It is a day of worship, not of fear. Tradition presents Shani as fair and even kind to people who work honestly and help others, and most observers simply offer oil, light a lamp, pray and give to people in need.