About Krishna Janmashtami
Krishna Janmashtami marks the birth of Krishna, whom Hindus count as the eighth avatar of Vishnu, on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of Shravana or Bhadrapada. In 2027 it falls on Wednesday, 25 August 2027. The main puja is held at midnight, the hour the story gives for his birth in a prison cell in Mathura.
What is Krishna Janmashtami?
Janmashtami marks the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu in Hindu belief. The tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana tells the story: Krishna is born at midnight in a Mathura prison to Devaki and Vasudeva, whose earlier children have been killed by Devaki's brother, King Kansa. Vasudeva carries the baby across the flooded Yamuna that night and leaves him in Gokul with Yashoda and Nanda.
That is why almost everything about the day points to a baby. Homes set up a small cradle, children are dressed as Krishna with a peacock feather and a flute, and the stories told are about butter and mischief rather than the Gita.
When is Janmashtami, and why do two dates show up?
Janmashtami falls on Ashtami, the eighth tithi of the dark fortnight, which north Indian calendars call Bhadrapada and western and southern calendars call Shravana. Both names point to the same night, in August or September. In 2027 it falls on Wednesday, 25 August 2027.
Two ways of counting decide which night:
- Smarta, followed by most households across north and west India, looks for Ashtami to be running at Nishita, the middle of the night as panchangs count it, a window of about 45 minutes near local midnight.
- Vaishnava calendars, including many ISKCON centres, want Ashtami together with the star Rohini, and never keep the day on Saptami. When Ashtami and Rohini do not meet on the same night, this pushes their observance a day later.
So the two traditions sometimes share a night and sometimes fall a day apart. Dahi Handi adds a third date, since it is held the morning after the midnight puja: in 2026 the puja night was 4 September and Dahi Handi was on the 5th.
How is Janmashtami celebrated through the night?
Most families fast through the day, do the puja at midnight and eat afterwards. The order is much the same in a Pune flat and a Mathura temple.
- MorningFast begins and the house is set up
Many keep a nirjala or fruit-only fast. A jhula or cradle is cleaned, wrapped in cloth and decorated with flowers.
- EveningBhajans and jhankis
Temples put up tableaux of Krishna's life, and children dress as Krishna and Radha for society and school events.
- MidnightThe birth
A conch is blown, the small Krishna idol is bathed in panchamrit of milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar, then dressed, placed in the cradle and swung.
- After the aartiBhog and breaking the fast
Butter, makhan mishri, panjiri, peda and fruit are offered and shared. Some families break the fast after the midnight aarti, others wait till the next morning.
- Next morningDahi Handi and Nandotsav
Maharashtra holds its pot-breaking. In Gokul, Nandotsav is kept the day after, as the celebration in Nanda's house.
Panchangs give two rules for breaking the fast. The older one says wait until both Ashtami and Rohini have ended, which can mean the next morning. The common practice today is to eat once the midnight puja is over.
How is Janmashtami celebrated in different states?
The night looks different in each region: pot-breaking in Mumbai, rice-flour footprints in Chennai, all-night singing in Mathura.
| Region | Local name and main custom | Food you will see |
|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh (Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul) | Janmashtami. Midnight abhishek at Krishna Janmabhoomi, jhankis and kirtan at Banke Bihari; Gokul keeps Nandotsav the next day | Panjiri made with dhania, makhan mishri, charnamrit |
| Maharashtra | Gokulashtami, with Dahi Handi the next morning | Gopalkala, a mix of beaten rice, curd, cucumber and green chilli |
| Gujarat | Janmashtami at Dwarkadhish temple in Dwarka, with raas and garba through the night | Makhan, dry fruit and milk sweets |
| Tamil Nadu | Sri Krishna Jayanthi or Gokulashtami. Tiny footprints in rice flour are drawn from the front door to the puja room, so the baby is shown the way in | Uppu and vella seedai, thattai, murukku, appam |
| Kerala | Ashtami Rohini. Children dressed as Krishna walk in shobha yatras, and Guruvayur fills up | Palpayasam, aval and butter |
| Odisha and West Bengal | The tenth book of the Bhagavata is read aloud; the day after is Nanda Utsav | Taler bora in Bengal, made from ripe palm fruit |
| Manipur | Raas Leela at the Shri Govindajee temple in Imphal | Prasad of fruit and sweetened rice |
What are the rules around Dahi Handi?
Dahi Handi is Maharashtra's version of Krishna stealing butter. A clay pot of curd hangs high over a street and teams called govindas build a human pyramid to break it, usually for prize money.
Courts have been asked to step in after injuries. In 2014 the Bombay High Court capped pyramids at 20 feet or four tiers and set a minimum age of 18 for govindas, and the Supreme Court declined to relax that in 2016. In 2017 the High Court held that such limits are for the legislature to fix, while recording the state's assurance that children under 14 would not take part.
What should you write in a Janmashtami message?
Keep it light. This is the one festival where a joke about stolen butter or a late night is entirely in keeping with the day.
Happy Janmashtami, Maa and Papa. Keep some makhan mishri aside for me, and don't let Papa fall asleep before the midnight aarti.
Happy Janmashtami. May your year have Krishna's luck and slightly better excuses than his.
Wishing you and your family a happy Janmashtami. Hope the midnight puja goes well and you still get some sleep.
Jai Shri Krishna. Wishing your home a year of good health, steady work and plenty of makhan.
Ashtami Rohini ashamsakal. Hope you get a good darshan and a bowl of payasam that makes the queue worth it.
Happy Gokulashtami. May the little footprints lead straight to your door this year, and may the seedai turn out perfect.
Happy Janmashtami, little Kanha. Best dressed Krishna in the building, no contest.
Happy Janmashtami. Thinking of you at hour eleven of that fast. The midnight prasad will taste incredible.
Do
- Match the name to the family: Janmashtami in the north, Gokulashtami in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, Ashtami Rohini in Kerala, Sri Krishna Jayanthi in many Tamil homes.
- Send the wish in the evening or at midnight, not at 8 am. The day is built around the night.
- If you visit, carry fruit, butter, dry fruit or a small flute or peacock feather for the children's Krishna outfit.
Avoid
- Don't plan a heavy work dinner for a team where people are fasting until midnight.
- Don't assume the whole country keeps the same night. Ask before you send, especially to Vaishnava families and ISKCON friends.
- Don't push anyone to join a dahi handi pyramid, and don't post photos of children at the top as if it were a stunt.
- Nishita
- The middle of the night as panchangs count it, the window of about 45 minutes when the birth puja is done
- Rohini
- The star under which Krishna is said to have been born, used by Vaishnava calendars to fix the day
- Panchamrit
- The bathing mix of milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar poured over the idol
- Govinda
- A member of a dahi handi team
- Nandotsav
- The celebration in Nanda's house, kept the day after Janmashtami in Gokul and Bengal
Krishna's other days include Rath Yatra in Puri, Govardhan Puja after Diwali and Holi, which Braj keeps for weeks. The next big family festival is usually Ganesh Chaturthi, and Rama's birth is marked on Ram Navami.
How to wish someone on Krishna Janmashtami
A Janmashtami wish suits a warm, playful tone, since the day remembers Krishna as a child who stole butter more than as a king. Mention the midnight puja, the jhula at home, the dahi handi in the lane, or the family's own bal gopal idol. For friends fasting till midnight, ask how it is going. Use the greeting their family uses: Jai Shri Krishna in the west, Ashtami Rohini wishes in Kerala, Gokulashtami in Tamil homes.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is Krishna Janmashtami in 2026 and 2027?
Krishna Janmashtami is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 10 days earlier than in 2026.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
Why is Janmashtami celebrated at midnight?
The Bhagavata Purana places Krishna's birth in the middle of the night in a Mathura prison, so the puja is timed for Nishita, the panchang's middle of the night. Nishita is worked out from local sunset and sunrise, so it falls near but not exactly at 12 o'clock, and it shifts from city to city.
Why do some families keep Janmashtami a day later than others?
Smarta households follow the Ashtami tithi that is running at midnight, while Vaishnava calendars, including many ISKCON centres, want Ashtami together with the star Rohini and never keep the day on Saptami. When the two do not line up on one night, the observances fall a day apart.
When do people break the Janmashtami fast?
There are two rules in use. The older one says to wait until both the Ashtami tithi and the Rohini star have ended, which can push the meal to the next morning, while the common practice today is to eat after the midnight puja and aarti. Families follow whichever rule they have grown up with.
What is Dahi Handi and when is it held?
Dahi Handi is the Maharashtra custom of hanging a pot of curd high above a street and letting teams of govindas build a human pyramid to break it. It is held the morning after the midnight Janmashtami puja, and organisers need police permission, with rules on age and safety that change from year to year.
What is Janmashtami called in south India?
Tamil families usually call it Sri Krishna Jayanthi or Gokulashtami, Kerala calls it Ashtami Rohini, and Karnataka uses Krishna Janmashtami or Krishna Jayanthi. The customs also differ: Tamil homes draw Krishna's footprints in rice flour from the door to the puja room, while Kerala sends children dressed as Krishna out in processions.
What is the simplest thing to say on Janmashtami?
"Happy Janmashtami" works everywhere, and "Jai Shri Krishna" is the everyday greeting in Gujarat, Rajasthan and much of north India. In Kerala say "Ashtami Rohini ashamsakal", and in Tamil homes "Happy Gokulashtami" is the usual line.
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