Janmashtami 2027

What is Janmashtami?

Krishna Janmashtami — also Gokulashtami or Krishnashtami — celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. It falls on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark half of Bhadrapada in the North Indian purnimanta calendar (Shravana in the amanta calendar), usually in August or September. Krishna is believed to have been born at midnight, so the main celebration takes place at Nishita Kaal, around midnight. Sometimes Smarta and Vaishnava traditions (such as ISKCON) celebrate on consecutive days.

Why is Janmashtami celebrated?

Krishna was born in a prison cell in Mathura to Devaki and Vasudeva, imprisoned by Devaki's brother, the tyrant Kansa, who had been told that her eighth son would kill him. That night the guards fell asleep, the prison doors opened, and Vasudeva carried the baby across the flooded Yamuna to Gokul, where he was raised by Yashoda and Nanda. Krishna's childhood — stealing butter, playing the flute, lifting the Govardhan hill — and his teaching of the Bhagavad Gita make him one of the most loved deities in Hinduism.

How is Janmashtami celebrated?

• Fasting: devotees fast through the day, many without grain, and break the fast after the midnight puja.
• Midnight birth celebration: at midnight, an image of baby Krishna (Laddu Gopal) is bathed with panchamrit, dressed in new clothes and placed in a decorated cradle (jhula), which devotees rock while singing bhajans and "Nand ke anand bhayo, jai Kanhaiya lal ki".
• Bhog: butter and mishri, panchamrit, dhaniya panjiri, makhana kheer and 56 dishes (chhappan bhog) in temples.
• Jhankis: temples and homes create tableaux of scenes from Krishna's life.
• Children dress up as Krishna and Radha for school and temple events.

Janmashtami across India

Mathura and Vrindavan celebrate for days, with Raslila performances and temples open through the night. In Maharashtra, the next day is Dahi Handi: teams of "Govindas" form human pyramids to break a pot of curd hung high above the street, recalling Krishna's butter stealing. In Gujarat, Dwarka's temple draws huge crowds. In South India, families draw tiny footprints of baby Krishna from the doorway into the house and prepare seedai and murukku. ISKCON temples worldwide hold some of the largest celebrations.

How to celebrate Janmashtami at home

Decorate the puja area with flowers and a small cradle. Keep a fast if you can, sing bhajans in the evening, and at midnight bathe the image of Laddu Gopal with panchamrit, dress him, offer butter-mishri and panjiri, rock the cradle and perform aarti ("Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki"). Then break the fast with prasad.