Krishna Janmashtami kahile ho? When is Krishna Janmashtami 2027?

It falls on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of Bhadra, in late August or September. The exact day is confirmed each year from the Nepal government calendar.

Why do people stay awake on Janmashtami?

Krishna was born at midnight, so devotees stay awake in prayer and song until then, and often through the night.

Do you have to fast on Janmashtami?

Many devotees fast until midnight, some without food and some on fruit and milk. It is a personal choice, and health comes first.

Where is the main celebration in Nepal?

At Krishna Mandir in Patan Durbar Square, where a fair fills the streets and the gates open at midnight. There are also gatherings at the Krishna temple in Basantapur, Kathmandu.

Culture · Janmashtami · Krishna Ashtami · Krishna Jayanti

What is Krishna Janmashtami?

कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी

Krishna Janmashtami celebrates the birth of Krishna at midnight: fasting, a night of bhajan, lamps, and crowds at the Krishna temple in Patan.

What Krishna Janmashtami is

Krishna Janmashtami marks the birth of Krishna, the god worshipped as an avatar of Vishnu. It falls on the eighth day (ashtami) of the dark fortnight of Bhadra, in late August or September. Krishna was born at midnight, and the night is called Moharatri.

How the day is kept

Devotees fast through the day, many until midnight. They spend the evening in prayer, chanting bhajans and kirtan, often through the night, and light oil lamps. Women especially keep the vigil.

At midnight the birth is celebrated with prayers and the fast is broken with sweets and fruit offered to Krishna and then shared.

Patan, Kathmandu and beyond

The main gathering is at Krishna Mandir, the stone temple of the 17th century in Patan Durbar Square, in Lalitpur. A fair fills the streets and the gates open to the crowd at midnight, after the regular worship. In Kathmandu people gather at the Krishna temple at Basantapur, and religious groups hold processions with decorated chariots. Another large gathering is at Navatan Dham in Kageshwari-Manohara.

Krishna Janmashtami away from home

Hindu temples in the US, including ISKCON centres, hold an evening of bhajan with a midnight arati. Check the temple's timetable, because the day can differ by a day between the Nepali and the Indian calendars. Families who keep the fast at home light a lamp, make milk sweets and join the midnight prayers on a call or at the temple.

Common questions

Krishna Janmashtami kahile ho? When is Krishna Janmashtami 2027?: It falls on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of Bhadra, in late August or September. The exact day is confirmed each year from the Nepal government calendar.
Why do people stay awake on Janmashtami?: Krishna was born at midnight, so devotees stay awake in prayer and song until then, and often through the night.
Do you have to fast on Janmashtami?: Many devotees fast until midnight, some without food and some on fruit and milk. It is a personal choice, and health comes first.
Where is the main celebration in Nepal?: At Krishna Mandir in Patan Durbar Square, where a fair fills the streets and the gates open at midnight. There are also gatherings at the Krishna temple in Basantapur, Kathmandu.