Festival · Shri Krishna

Krishna Janmashtami

Name: Krishna Janmashtami
Start: 2027-08-24
End: 2027-08-24
Location: Nashik

Birth of Shri Krishna at midnight on Ashtami of Bhadrapada Krishna (Purnimanta). Smarta date: Ashtami at Nishita, Rohini (Jayanti) deciding between two nights; the Vaishnava (ISKCON) date is shown beside it.

Nashik, Maharashtra, India 19.9973°, 73.7910° Asia/Kolkata (UTC+05:30) North Indian · Lahiri (calibrated)

Panchang for 24/08/2027 (Tue) All dates

Next date August 2027 24 Tuesday in 323 days

CategoryFestival Major
DeityShri Krishna
FastingFast until the midnight puja; Parana after Nishita or the next day as per tradition.
Defining tithi / momentKrishna Paksha Ashtami: 20:25 to 19:20 (next day)
Lunar monthShravana Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta)

Timings on Tuesday, 24 August 2027

Nishita Kaal 00:14 (next day) to 00:59 (next day) 0 h 45 min · 24/08/2027 (Tue)

Smarta and Vaishnava dates — The traditions differ this time.

Smarta 24/08/2027 (Tue) Smarta: Ashtami prevails at Nishita (midnight) on this night only.
Vaishnava (ISKCON) 25/08/2027 (Wed) Vaishnava (ISKCON): Ashtami prevails at sunrise on this day.

Why this date?

Smarta: Ashtami prevails at Nishita (midnight) on this night only.

Puja vidhi

Mantra & Bhakti

All mantras, aartis and stotras for this festival

Recipes, stories and temples

Prasad to make

Story for children

The midnight birthday of little Krishna

Temples that celebrate it specially

Dwarkadhish Temple (Jagat Mandir)

Across India

How this festival is celebrated in different regions, with the regional names and each date's rule.

Read the regional guide

How the date is determined

In the Amanta system (months end at the new moon) this is Shravana Krishna Paksha Ashtami; in the Purnimanta system used in most of North India (months end at the full moon) the same day is called Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha Ashtami.
Smarta rule: Ashtami at Nishita (midnight) on one night gives that day; on both nights, the night on which Rohini is also at Nishita (Jayanti), otherwise the second; on neither night, the second. The Vaishnava (ISKCON) date is calculated beside it: Ashtami at sunrise, never joined with Saptami; with Ashtami at two sunrises, Rohini decides (at sunrise, then at midnight), then a Monday or a Wednesday. The tradition setting of your calculation profile decides which date is listed first.
In a year with an Adhik month of the same name, it is observed in the regular (Nija) month.

Traditional variation

Smarta and Vaishnava (ISKCON) dates are both calculated; the tradition setting of your calculation profile (the one that orders Ekadashi) decides which is listed first. When they differ, the Vaishnava day is usually the next one (Ashtami at sunrise), as in the Government of India list, which gives both.

This is the date given by the rule shown above for the selected place. It is not the only valid date: regional Panchangs, family customs and sampradayas may observe it on a different day.

Rule source: Smarta: Janmashtami-nirnaya (Dharma Sindhu, Pariccheda 2, Krishna-janmashtami; Nirnaya Sindhu, Pariccheda 2, Janmashtami and Jayanti): Ashtami at Nishita (8th of 15 night muhurtas) on one night → that day; on both nights → the night on which Rohini joins it at Nishita (Jayanti), otherwise the second day; on neither night → the second day. Vaishnava (ISKCON): Ashtami at sunrise, never joined with Saptami (Hari Bhakti Vilasa), as GCal, the program that prints the ISKCON calendars, decides it (github.com/krymlov/gcal-jni-lib, jni/astro_cr.cpp, CompleteCalc): Ashtami at two sunrises → Rohini at sunrise, then at midnight, then Monday or Wednesday; at no sunrise → the next day. Government of India (DoPT) holiday Office Memoranda: Janmashtami (Smarta) 11 Aug 2020, 30 Aug 2021, 6 Sep 2023, 15 Aug 2025; Janmashtami (Vaishnava, the gazetted day) 3 Sep 2018, 24 Aug 2019, 12 Aug 2020, 30 Aug 2021, 7 Sep 2023, 26 Aug 2024, 16 Aug 2025, 4 Sep 2026, 25 Aug 2027.

Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention. Times are shown for the selected place, time zone and calculation profile.

Calculated with engine 1.4.2 · rules rules-2026-09-29-a0a4505e · profile north-lahiri-calibrated v1 · ayanamsa lahiri_drik_compat · astronomy-engine@2.1.19 · Asia/Kolkata

Dates in 2026

Krishna Janmashtami — 2026
Date	Defining tithi / moment	Time windows	Decision notes
04/09/2026 (Fri) Shravana Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta)	Krishna Paksha Ashtami: 02:25 to 00:13 (next day)	Nishita Kaal 00:10 (next day) to 00:13 (next day) (0 h 3 min)	Smarta: Ashtami prevails at Nishita (midnight) on this night only.

Dates in 2027

Krishna Janmashtami — 2027
Date	Defining tithi / moment	Time windows	Decision notes
24/08/2027 (Tue) Next Shravana Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta)	Krishna Paksha Ashtami: 20:25 to 19:20 (next day)	Nishita Kaal 00:14 (next day) to 00:59 (next day) (0 h 45 min)	Smarta: Ashtami prevails at Nishita (midnight) on this night only.