Krishna is the eighth avatar in the list of the Dashavatara, and one of the most widely loved figures in Indian religion. He is the child who steals butter, the cowherd whose flute draws the people of Vrindavan, the prince of Dwarka, the charioteer at Kurukshetra and the teacher of the Bhagavad Gita. His story is long and has many layers, so this page gives a short outline, explains how traditions understand him, and lists the festivals and the temples.
Where the story comes from
The life of Krishna is told in several works. The Mahabharata shows him as a statesman, friend and charioteer, and the Bhagavad Gita, which is a part of it, records his teaching to Arjuna. The Harivamsa, a supplement to the Mahabharata, the Vishnu Purana (in its fifth book) and the Bhagavata Purana (in its tenth book) tell of his birth, childhood and youth. The Bhagavata is the most widely read of these and has shaped much of the devotional life of Krishna. Later poets, such as Jayadeva in the twelfth century, and saints of many regions, such as Surdas, Mirabai and the Alvars in the south, have added songs and stories. Radha, so important in later devotion, is not named in the Bhagavata and takes a central place in later poetry and in the Puranas of the medieval period.
The story in outline
Krishna was born in Mathura to Devaki and Vasudeva, in the prison of Devaki’s brother, the tyrant king Kamsa, who had been warned that Devaki’s eighth child would be his end. The birth is placed at midnight on the eighth day of the dark fortnight, under the nakshatra Rohini. The prison doors opened, and Vasudeva carried the newborn across the Yamuna to Gokul, where the cowherd Nanda and his wife Yashoda raised him. Balarama, his elder brother, grew up with him.
The Bhagavata describes his childhood in Gokul and Vrindavan: the stealing of butter, the defeat of the demoness Putana and of the serpent Kaliya, and the lifting of Mount Govardhan on a finger to shelter the cowherds from Indra’s storm. Those years include the rasa lila, the circle dance with the gopis, which devotional poets read as a picture of the soul’s love for God.
As a youth Krishna returned to Mathura, killed Kamsa and restored the throne to Kamsa’s father, Ugrasena. He later settled his people at Dwarka on the western coast. The Mahabharata shows him as the friend of the Pandavas. On the field of Kurukshetra, when Arjuna lost heart before the battle, Krishna, driving his chariot, gave him the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita. After the war and the years that followed, the tradition says Krishna left the world at Prabhasa, near Somnath, ending his time on earth.
Avatar or the Lord himself
Traditions differ here, and it helps to know how. Most Vaishnava teachers list Krishna as an avatar of Vishnu. Several major traditions, such as the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, the Pushtimarg and the Nimbarka school, hold that Krishna is the source of all avatars and the Supreme Lord himself, and that Vishnu is an aspect of him. The Bhagavata Purana is often quoted for this view. This site follows the list of ten, in which Krishna is the eighth, and notes that the lists differ: some give Balarama in the eighth place and Krishna in the ninth. The view each tradition takes is part of its own teaching, and a page of this kind is not the place to rank them. Tradition places Krishna in the Dvapara Yuga, after Rama.
The festivals
- Janmashtami: the birth of Krishna, on the eighth day of the dark fortnight at midnight. See the Krishna Janmashtami page for the date and the Nishita puja window in 49 cities, with the Smarta and ISKCON days, and the Janmashtami puja guide for the steps of worship.
- Govardhan Puja: the lifting of the hill, the day after Diwali in many regions. See Govardhan Puja.
- Radha Ashtami: the birth of Radha, fifteen days after Janmashtami in many calendars. See Radha Ashtami.
- Gita Jayanti: the day the Gita is remembered, on Mokshada Ekadashi. See Gita Jayanti.
- Rath Yatra: the chariot festival of Jagannath at Puri, whom many people worship as a form of Krishna. See Rath Yatra.
- Holi is celebrated with special enthusiasm in the Braj region, in connection with Krishna and Radha. See Holi.
Temples
- Krishna Janmasthan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh: the traditional birthplace of Krishna.
- Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh: a town with several thousand temples, among them Banke Bihari, many founded by the saints of the Gaudiya and other traditions.
- Dwarkadhish, Dwarka, Gujarat: the city of the later life of Krishna, one of the four dhams. See the Char Dham guide.
- Jagannath, Puri, Odisha: another of the four dhams, where Krishna is worshipped as Lord of the world, with Balabhadra and Subhadra.
- Udupi Krishna Matha, Karnataka: the temple associated with Madhvacharya, the thirteenth-century teacher of the Dvaita tradition.
- Guruvayur, Kerala: a major temple of Krishna as a child.
- Nathdwara, Rajasthan: the temple of Shrinathji, the centre of the Pushtimarg tradition.
- Pandharpur, Maharashtra: the temple of Vithoba, whom many devotees regard as a form of Krishna.
Check the temple’s own notice before travelling.
Reading and reciting
On this site the Krishnashtakam and the Madhurashtakam are hymns to Krishna, and the Bhagavad Gita is given verse by verse, with the account of the avatar in chapter 4.
The next avatar
The list continues with the ninth avatar, Buddha or Balarama. Return to the Dashavatara overview for all ten.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Is Krishna an avatar of Vishnu or God himself?
Both views exist. Many Vaishnavas count him as the eighth avatar of Vishnu, while the Gaudiya, Pushtimarg and Nimbarka traditions hold that he is the Supreme Lord and the source of Vishnu and the avatars.
↳ Which texts tell the life of Krishna?
The Mahabharata and its Bhagavad Gita, the Harivamsa, the fifth book of the Vishnu Purana and the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana. Later poets and saints of many regions added songs and stories.
↳ When is Krishna Janmashtami?
It falls on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada (Shravana in the purnimanta calendar), at midnight. The festival page lists the date for 49 cities, with the Smarta and ISKCON days.
↳ Is Radha in the Bhagavata Purana?
She is not named in it, though some readers see her in one of the gopis. She takes a central place in later poetry, such as Jayadeva's Gita Govinda, and in the Puranas of the medieval period.
↳ Where are the main Krishna temples?
Mathura, Vrindavan, Dwarka, Puri, Udupi, Guruvayur, Nathdwara and Pandharpur are among the best known. Check each temple's official notice before you travel.