Krishna Janmashtami 2026 Date – 4 September

The night Krishna was born

Krishna was born at midnight in a prison cell in Mathura, the eighth child of Devaki and Vasudeva. Devaki's brother, King Kamsa, had been warned that her eighth son would kill him, and he had already killed six of her children. On the night of the birth the guards fell asleep and the prison doors opened; Vasudeva carried the newborn across the flooded Yamuna in a basket – the serpent Shesha shading him from the rain – to Gokul, where Nanda and Yashoda raised him.

The festival falls on Ashtami, the eighth lunar day of the waning fortnight of Bhadrapada (Shravana in the amanta calendar), ideally when it coincides with the Rohini nakshatra at midnight.

Smarta and Vaishnava dates

Janmashtami is sometimes listed on two consecutive days. Householders following the Smarta tradition often observe the first day, when Ashtami prevails at midnight, while Vaishnava communities, including ISKCON and many temples in Mathura and Vrindavan, may follow the next day based on sunrise and Rohini. Neither is wrong; follow your temple or family custom.

Celebrations across India

• Mathura and Vrindavan – temples are decorated for days, and jhankis (tableaux) of Krishna's childhood are set up across the town; the abhishek happens at midnight.
• Maharashtra – Dahi Handi on the following day (Gopalkala), when teams of Govindas build human pyramids to break a pot of curd hung high above the street.
• Gujarat – large gatherings at Dwarka, the city Krishna is said to have ruled.
• Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala – Gokulashtami or Sri Jayanti, with small footprints drawn in rice flour from the doorway to the puja room, as if baby Krishna had walked in.
• Manipur – Krishna Janma is marked with Ras Lila dance at temples in Imphal.

Bhog: what is offered to baby Krishna

Krishna's love of butter shapes the menu. Makhan-mishri (fresh white butter with rock sugar), panchamrit, and dhaniya panjiri – roasted coriander powder with sugar, ghee and dry fruit, a traditional fasting-day prasad – are offered in North India. In the South, seedai, murukku, verkadalai urundai (peanut balls) and aval payasam are prepared. Temples often offer chhappan bhog, fifty-six dishes. Tulsi leaves are placed on every offering.

The Janmashtami fast

Many devotees keep a fruit-and-milk fast, while some keep a nirjala fast with no water. The fast is usually broken after the midnight puja with prasad, though some families wait until the next morning, after Ashtami and Rohini have ended. Grains are avoided during the day. If you have a medical condition, check with your doctor before fasting.

Krishna Janmashtami puja samagri (what you need)

• Laddu Gopal (baby Krishna) idol
• A small jhula (cradle)
• New clothes, crown and flute for the idol
• Peacock feather
• Panchamrit – milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar
• Gangajal or clean water
• Tulsi leaves
• Makhan-mishri
• Dhaniya panjiri
• Fruit, flowers and a garland
• Chandan, roli and akshat
• Diya, ghee and incense

How to do Krishna Janmashtami puja, step by step

1. Take a sankalp (resolve) in the morning and keep the fast through the day.
2. Clean the puja place and decorate the cradle with flowers.
3. Sing bhajans or read the story of Krishna's birth in the evening.
4. At midnight, bathe the idol with panchamrit and then clean water.
5. Dress the idol in new clothes, apply chandan and place it in the cradle.
6. Offer makhan-mishri, panjiri and fruit, with a tulsi leaf on each offering.
7. Perform aarti, gently rock the cradle, and share the prasad.
8. Break the fast with prasad after the puja, or the next morning if that is your family's custom.