Radha Ashtami is the birthday of Radha, whom Vaishnava tradition honours as the supreme devotee and the energy of Krishna. It falls on the eighth day of the bright half of Bhadrapada, about two weeks after Janmashtami, and it is celebrated most joyfully at Barsana and Vrindavan in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh, which tradition names as Radha’s home. The festival is also kept by ISKCON and Gaudiya Vaishnava communities worldwide.
Month and tithi
The festival is the Shukla Ashtami of Bhadrapada, described on the Ashtami page. The bright fortnight has the same month name in both calendars.
Radha in tradition
Radha appears most fully in the later devotional literature, in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, in Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda, and in the songs and teaching of Vaishnava saints such as Chaitanya and Surdas. The tradition tells that she was born in Rawal and grew up in Barsana, in a family of cowherds, and that her love for Krishna is the model of selfless devotion. Different sampradayas describe her differently, and some give her the highest place of all. Some texts say she was found as an infant in a lotus; others describe a more ordinary birth. These accounts differ, and the festival is a festival of love and devotion more than of any single account.
How the day is kept
Devotees fast until the midday puja, bathe, and place an image of Radha, often with Krishna, on a decorated seat. She is bathed with milk, curd, honey and ghee, dressed in new clothes and jewels, and offered flowers, fruit and sweets. Bhajans and the Radha Chalisa are sung, and the day often ends with a meal of fruit and sweets. At Barsana the Radha Rani temple on top of a hill holds a large celebration, with a procession and folk dance, and the whole region is filled with visitors.
How the day is fixed
The rule used here follows Drik Panchang: the festival is on the civil day on which Ashtami is in force in the Madhyahna, the middle fifth of the day; if it is in force on two days, the second is taken. The puja window in the table is the Madhyahna itself. ISKCON and many Vaishnava communities use a stricter rule for tithis and may name a neighbouring day, and if you follow one of these, use your own calendar.
Why cities differ
The tithi begins and ends at one instant everywhere, but midday is at a different clock time in every city. A tithi that begins or ends close to midday in one city lands on a different day in another. The table shows each city. For other places, use the any-city tool.
A calm note
A fast is a personal choice. If it does not suit your health, keep a gentler day, and ask a doctor if you are unsure. The festival is about devotion and not about discomfort. Follow your own family and temple for the day.