Hindu festival
Krishna Janmashtami
Also known as Janmashtami, Gokulashtami.
Why is Krishna Janmashtami celebrated?
In short
Krishna Janmashtami celebrates the midnight birth of Krishna, worshipped as an incarnation of Vishnu, born in a Mathura prison to end the reign of the tyrant Kansa. Devotees mark it because it honours the Divine descending to earth to protect the good, restore righteousness, and bring joy, love, and playful grace into the world.
Reviewed by the Godify team · Last updated
Krishna Janmashtami at a glance
- Krishna Janmashtami 2026
- Thursday, 3 September 2026
- Tithi / rule
- Krishna Ashtami (8th tithi of the waning moon) of Bhadrapada, celebrated at midnight (nishita kaal)
- Calendar
- Lunar calendar (tithi-based)
- Deity
- Krishna
- Significance
- Marks the birth of Krishna, the Divine descending to restore righteousness.
- Region
- Celebrated across India, most grandly in Mathura and Vrindavan, and by Hindus worldwide.
Krishna's traditional birth is at midnight, ideally with the Rohini nakshatra present, which is why the observed day is chosen by when the Ashtami tithi holds at nishita.
The story of Krishna Janmashtami
The story of Krishna's birth is told most fully in the Bhagavata Purana (Canto 10), with parallel accounts in the Vishnu Purana and the Harivamsha. It begins in the kingdom of Mathura, ruled by the cruel King Kansa. On the day Kansa gleefully drove the chariot of his newly-wed sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva, a voice from the sky foretold that Devaki's eighth son would be the cause of his death.
Terrified, Kansa raised his sword against his own sister. Vasudeva calmed him with a promise to hand over every child they bore. Kansa spared Devaki but threw the couple into prison, and one by one he killed their first six newborns. According to the Bhagavata Purana, the seventh child was Balarama, whose embryo was mystically drawn by the goddess Yogamaya into the womb of Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva living safely in Gokul, so the world was told Devaki had miscarried.
How is Krishna Janmashtami celebrated?
Devotees fast and keep vigil to midnight, sing of Krishna's life, rock the infant Krishna in a cradle at the birth hour, and — in Maharashtra — form human pyramids for the Dahi Handi.
Characters in the story
A mantra to mark the day
ॐ कृष्णाय नमः
oṃ kṛṣṇāya namaḥ
I bow to Krishna, beloved of all hearts.
Temples for Krishna Janmashtami
More Hindu festivals
About Krishna Janmashtami
Why is Krishna Janmashtami celebrated?
It celebrates the birth of Krishna, revered as an incarnation of Vishnu. According to tradition, he was born at midnight in a Mathura prison to end the reign of the tyrant Kansa. Devotees honour the day as the moment the Divine descended to earth to protect the good and restore righteousness.
What is the story of Krishna Janmashtami?
A prophecy warned King Kansa that his sister Devaki's eighth son would kill him, so he imprisoned her and Vasudeva. When Krishna was born at midnight, the guards slept, the chains fell, and Vasudeva carried him across the flooded Yamuna to safety in Gokul, foster home of Yashoda and Nanda.
Who is worshipped on Krishna Janmashtami?
Krishna is worshipped, honoured as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and, in many traditions, as the Supreme Divine himself. Devotees especially adore his infant and child forms, the newborn placed in a cradle and the playful butter-loving boy of Gokul and Vrindavan, celebrated with songs and midnight rituals.
How is Krishna Janmashtami celebrated?
Many devotees fast through the day and break it only after the midnight birth. Temples hold a midnight abhishek, bathing the infant Krishna image in milk and honey amid bells, conch, and bhajans. Cradles are rocked, homes are decorated, and Krishna's childhood pastimes are re-enacted in song and dance.
When is Krishna Janmashtami observed?
It falls on the eighth day, Ashtami, of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, usually in August or September. Because Krishna is said to have been born at midnight, the main worship happens late at night rather than during the day, marking the exact hour of his birth.
What is Dahi Handi and how is it linked to Janmashtami?
Dahi Handi recalls the child Krishna's love of butter and curd, which he and his friends would steal from pots hung out of reach. Especially in Maharashtra, young people form human pyramids to reach and break a high-hung earthen pot of curd, turning the playful legend into a joyful public celebration.
Why was Krishna born in a prison?
His parents, Devaki and Vasudeva, had been imprisoned by King Kansa, Devaki's own brother, after a prophecy foretold that her eighth child would cause his death. Kansa killed their earlier children, so Krishna's midnight birth and secret rescue across the Yamuna took place under captivity, which makes his escape central to the festival.
Where is Krishna Janmashtami celebrated most grandly?
The grandest celebrations are in Mathura, his birthplace, and nearby Vrindavan, where he spent his childhood. Temples there hold elaborate midnight darshan, abhishek, and Ras Leela performances. The festival is also observed with great devotion across India and by Hindu communities around the world.
Mark Krishna Janmashtami with Bhagavan
Ask about the festival's meaning, its deity, or a verse or mantra to observe the day — free, private, any hour.
Talk to Bhagavan