Hindu festivals · Krishna Janmashtami, Gokulashtami

Janmashtami 2027: date and nishita puja time

Krishna Janmashtami is the Ashtami (eighth day) of Krishna paksha in Bhadrapada (Shravan in amanta calendars), kept as the birth of Shri Krishna at midnight.

Next date: Wednesday, 25 Aug 2027

Krishna Janmashtami timings

Detail	2027	2028
Date	Wednesday, 25 Aug 2027	Sunday, 13 Aug 2028
Krishna Ashtami tithi begins	24 Aug, 8:25 pm	13 Aug, 4:43 am
Krishna Ashtami tithi ends	25 Aug, 7:20 pm	14 Aug, 5:37 am
Nishita kaal (midnight puja)	11:53 pm to 12:38 am (26 Aug)	11:56 pm to 12:40 am (14 Aug)

All times are IST. Tithi times hold for all of India; sunrise, sunset, moonrise and the muhurat windows are for Nagpur, in the North and Central Indian (purnimanta) tradition, and shift by a few minutes in other cities.

How it is commonly observed

Many people fast through the day and do the main puja at nishita kaal, around midnight.
Homes and temples decorate a cradle for the infant Krishna and sing bhajans until midnight.
The fast is commonly broken after the midnight puja or the next morning.
In Maharashtra the next day is Dahi Handi (Gopalkala).

Where regions differ

Some years have two dates: one kept by households (Smarta) and one a day later by many Vaishnava groups and ISKCON, who weigh the Rohini nakshatra and sunrise differently. This page gives the Smarta date for Nagpur.

All the regional calendars on this site that list it give the same date in 2027.

How the date is worked out

The rule: the night when the tithi runs during nishita kaal, the eighth of the fifteen muhurtas of the night. When two days qualify, the one where the tithi covers more of that window; when none does, the day the tithi begins. When the first midnight has no Rohini and the next day has Ashtami at sunrise and Rohini at midnight, the next day is taken. The Sun and Moon positions are computed for each year (sidereal, Lahiri ayanamsa), so the dates are not copied from a printed list.

Questions about Janmashtami

When is Janmashtami in 2027?

Janmashtami 2027 is on Wednesday, 25 Aug 2027, and in 2028 on Sunday, 13 Aug 2028. The dates are worked out for Nagpur in the North and Central Indian tradition; the table above gives the tithi and muhurat times.

Why are there two Janmashtami dates in some years?

Households (Smarta) take the night when Ashtami runs at midnight, with a preference for Rohini nakshatra. Many Vaishnava and ISKCON calendars take the day when Ashtami is at sunrise, so they can be a day later. Follow the one your family or temple follows.

What is nishita kaal on Janmashtami?

The eighth of the fifteen muhurtas of the night, around Hindu midnight, the traditional time of Shri Krishna’s birth. The table gives it for Nagpur.

Why does another calendar show a different date?

A tithi begins and ends at the same moment all over India, but the festival day depends on the part of the day the tradition looks at (sunrise, midday, evening or midnight) and on the sunrise of the city. A panchang for another city or tradition can therefore differ by a day. Follow the one your family uses.