Krishna Janmashtami 2028
कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी
Krishna Janmashtami falls on Sunday, 13 August 2028 in New Delhi, on Krishna Ashtami.
Janmashtami marks the birth of Krishna, who is said to have been born at midnight in a prison at Mathura. Devotees fast until midnight, sing and rock a cradle, and in Maharashtra, teams form human pyramids to break a hanging pot.
Why this date
CalculatedIt falls on Ashtami, the eighth lunar day of the dark fortnight, in the month called Bhadrapada in the north and Shravana in the west and south. Two traditions apply this differently. Smarta households generally look for Ashtami at Nishita, the midnight window. Many Vaishnava communities go by Ashtami at sunrise, often with attention to the star Rohini. That's why calendars often show two dates, a day apart.
That’s 12 days earlier than 25 August 2027 last year.
- Ashtami begins
- 13 Aug, 4:43 AM
- It ends
- 14 Aug, 5:37 AM
2028 date by city
| New Delhi | Sun, 13 Aug |
|---|---|
| Mumbai | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Kolkata | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Chennai | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Bengaluru | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Hyderabad | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Ahmedabad | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Pune | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Jaipur | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Lucknow | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Patna | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Varanasi | Sun, 13 Aug |
| London | Sun, 13 Aug |
| New York | Sun, 13 Aug |
| San Francisco | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Toronto | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Sydney | Mon, 14 Aug |
| Singapore | Mon, 14 Aug |
| Dubai | Sun, 13 Aug |
| Port Louis | Sun, 13 Aug |
Dates in bold differ from New Delhi’s. Calculated by rule; local practice can differ.
One festival, many stories
Pan-IndianBorn at midnight in Kamsa's prison
The Bhagavata Purana (10.3) describes the birth in the dead of night, with Devaki and Vasudeva imprisoned by the tyrant Kamsa. As Lochtefeld retells it, the guards fall asleep, the doors open, and Vasudeva carries the infant across the Yamuna to Gokul, leaving him with Nanda and Yashoda. This is the story that your midnight fast is built around.
BrajPlays of Krishna's life
Lochtefeld describes Krishna lilas, dramas of his life, performed at Brindavan during this period. Braj is the festival's heartland, and visitors come for the temples and the plays alike.
MaharashtraDahi Handi
Krishna the butter thief is the model here. On the day after Janmashtami, teams called govindas stack themselves into pyramids to reach and break a hanging pot of curds. It has grown into a large public contest with prize money, and the safety of those pyramids is regularly discussed.
Common questions
What people do
- Fasting until midnight, then eating after the birth is marked
- Decorating a cradle and rocking a small image of the infant Krishna
- Singing bhajans and staging scenes from his childhood
- Breaking the dahi handi in Maharashtra
Why are there two dates for Janmashtami?
Because Smarta and Vaishnava traditions use different rules. Smartas usually follow Ashtami at midnight, and many Vaishnava communities follow Ashtami at sunrise, so when those land on different days, you'll see both listed. Neither is a mistake.
Why is Janmashtami at midnight?
Because the Bhagavata Purana says Krishna was born in the middle of the night. People fast until then and celebrate the moment of his birth.
Is it Shravana or Bhadrapada?
It's both, depending on your calendar. The same dark fortnight is called Bhadrapada by those who end the month at the full moon, and Shravana by those who end it at the new moon.
Ask your elders
“Ask your family who got to rock the cradle at midnight, and whether the children really stayed awake that long. Ask what the first bite after the fast was.”
Sources
- Bhagavata Purana 10.3
- James G. Lochtefeld, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (Rosen, 2002), entry “Janmashtami”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Janmashtami”
- P. V. Kane, History of Dharmaśāstra, Vol. V, Part I (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute), on vratas and utsavas