Krishna Janmashtami 2026 கிருஷ்ண ஜெயந்தி
Friday, 4 September 2026
The day in the Tamil calendar
| Date | Friday, 4 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Tamil date | Aavani 18 ஆவணி |
| Tithi at sunrise | Ashtami (அஷ்டமி) until 12:14 AM, Sep 05 · Krishna Paksha |
| Nakshatra at sunrise | Rohini (ரோகிணி) until 11:04 PM |
| Sunrise / Sunset | 6:01 AM / 6:14 PM |
| Tamil Nadu holiday | Yes (TN Gazette Extraordinary No. 721, 11-Nov-2025, G.O. Ms. No. 708 Public(Misc) Dept (stationeryprinting.tn.gov.in/extraordinary/2025/721_Ex_II_1_2025.pdf)) |
Timings for Chennai. The date follows the Tamil Nadu calendar.
About the festival
Krishna Jayanthi, also called Gokulashtami or Janmashtami, celebrates the birth of Krishna, who is revered as an avatar of Vishnu.1,2
Many devotees fast, and worship is centred on midnight, the traditional hour of Krishna's birth, when an image of the infant Krishna is bathed, dressed and worshipped, followed by singing and sweets.2,3
In Tamil homes, small footprints of the infant Krishna are drawn with rice-flour paste from the threshold to the family shrine, representing his arrival into the house.2,4
When it falls: Krishna Jayanthi falls on Ashtami, the eighth day of the dark fortnight (Krishna Ashtami) of the lunar month Shravana in the amanta reckoning (Bhadrapada in the purnimanta reckoning), in August or September.1,2
Sources
Krishna Janmashtami in other years
| 2025 | Saturday, 16 August 2025 |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, 4 September 2026 |
| 2027 | Wednesday, 25 August 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday, 13 August 2028 |