Quick facts
- Date
- Wednesday, 25 August 2027
- Hindu date
- Krishna paksha Ashtami
Bhadrapada (Purnimanta) · Shravana (Amanta) - Tithi begins / ends
- 8:25 PM, 24 Aug → 7:21 PM
- Tithi at sunrise
- 5:55 AM
- Sunrise · Sunset (New Delhi)
- 5:55 AM · 6:51 PM
- Vikram Samvat
- 2084 (Gujarati: 2083)
Dates
| Year | Date | Hindu date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Wednesday, 25 August 2027 | Krishna paksha Ashtami | Open in calendar |
Dates are for New Delhi. Dates that have already passed are not listed. Later years are added once they have been checked.
About Krishna Janmashtami
Janmashtami marks the birth of Krishna, observed on the eighth tithi (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight in the month of Shravana in the Amanta calendar, or Bhadrapada in the Purnimanta calendar. Devotees fast through the day and keep a vigil until midnight, the traditional hour of his birth.
In Mathura and Vrindavan the temples are decorated for days, in Maharashtra teams form human pyramids to break a pot of curd (Dahi Handi), and many homes set up scenes from Krishna’s childhood.
How the date is decided
Most published calendars keep Janmashtami on the day when Ashtami is running at sunrise (Udaya Ashtami). Some Smarta traditions instead use the day when Ashtami covers midnight, so a few communities observe it a day apart. Check which tradition your family follows.
How it is observed
- Fast during the day and break it after the midnight birth ceremony, or at the next day’s sunrise as your tradition prefers.
- Sing bhajans, read the Bhagavata and decorate a small cradle for the child Krishna.
- Visit a temple; the celebrations in Mathura, Vrindavan and Dwarka are the best known.
Puja vidhi: how to do the puja
- Keep a fast through the day, nirjala or with fruit, as your family does.
- Decorate a cradle (jhula) for Laddu Gopal with flowers and cloth.
- At midnight (nishita kaal), bathe the idol with panchamrit (milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar), then with clean water.
- Dress him in new clothes and ornaments, with a peacock-feather crown and a flute.
- Offer makhan-mishri, dhaniya panjiri, tulsi leaves and fruit.
- Rock the cradle, sing bhajans and the aarti, and celebrate his birth.
- Break the fast after midnight or the next morning (parana), as your tradition holds.
Puja samagri checklist
Tick things off as you gather them; your list is kept on this device.
Katha: The birth of Krishna
A voice from the sky told King Kansa of Mathura that the eighth child of his sister Devaki would kill him. He threw Devaki and her husband Vasudeva into prison and killed each child born to them.
The eighth child, Krishna, was born at midnight on Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami under Rohini nakshatra. The guards fell asleep, the chains fell away, and Vasudeva carried the baby through the storm across the Yamuna to Gokul, leaving him with Yashoda and Nanda and bringing back their newborn daughter. When Kansa tried to kill her she slipped from his hands as the goddess Yogamaya and warned him that his slayer was alive.
Aarti: Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki
Read it in Roman letters
The Krishna aarti sung at midnight on Janmashtami. Words vary slightly between families.
Krishna Janmashtami 2027 in other cities
| City | Date | Compared with New Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | Wednesday, 25 August 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| London | Wednesday, 25 August 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| New York | Wednesday, 25 August 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Toronto | Wednesday, 25 August 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Sydney | Wednesday, 25 August 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Dubai | Wednesday, 25 August 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Singapore | Wednesday, 25 August 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Johannesburg | Wednesday, 25 August 2027 | same as New Delhi |
Frequently asked questions
When is Krishna Janmashtami in 2027?
Krishna Janmashtami 2027 falls on Wednesday, 25 August 2027 (New Delhi). The tithi runs from 8:25 PM, 24 Aug to 7:21 PM.
Why does the date of Krishna Janmashtami change every year?
Krishna Janmashtami follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar. It is tied to Krishna paksha Ashtami of the month of Bhadrapada (Purnimanta) · Shravana (Amanta), not to a fixed Gregorian date. A lunar year is about eleven days shorter than a solar year, so the date moves earlier by roughly that much each year, until a leap month (Adhik Maas) is added and it jumps back.
Is Krishna Janmashtami on the same day everywhere?
For the cities checked (New Delhi, London, New York, Toronto, Sydney, Dubai, Singapore, Johannesburg) the date is the same. Dates can still differ in other places, because tithis are read at local sunrise or sunset.