Janmashtami is the birthday of Krishna, who by tradition was born at midnight in a prison in Mathura. The home puja follows the same rhythm: a day of fasting and anticipation, then a midnight worship that welcomes the newborn child, with songs, a swing and offerings of butter and milk sweets.
Timing
The central worship is at midnight, so the best time depends on your city and on how the eighth tithi (Ashtami) and the nakshatra Rohini fall. Smarta and Vaishnava traditions sometimes keep the festival on different days, and in some years there are two. The Janmashtami page gives the dates and the midnight puja window for 49 cities, and you can open New Delhi, London or Sydney for the local picture. Use the any-city tool for other places. We do not state dates on this page.
Samagri: what to gather
| Item | Use |
|---|---|
| Laddu Gopal idol or a picture of baby Krishna | The deity worshipped at midnight |
| A small cradle or swing (jhula), with a soft cloth | The infant’s bed |
| Panchamrit and clean water | For the midnight abhishek |
| New clothes, a crown, a flute and a peacock feather | Dressing the deity |
| Tulsi leaves and flowers | Offered to Krishna |
| Butter and mishri, or sugar crystals | His favourite bhog |
| Panjiri, kheer, fruit and sweets made from milk | Naivedya |
| Sandal paste, kumkum, incense, a lamp, camphor | Worship and aarti |
| Conch and a small bell | Sounded at the birth moment |
Steps in order
- Keep the fast through the day, and decorate the cradle and the place of worship in the evening.
- Set up the deity, light the lamp and begin with Ganesha. Take the sankalp for the observance.
- Sing bhajans and listen to the story of Krishna’s birth until midnight.
- At midnight, ring the bell and blow the conch to announce the birth. Draw back the curtain over the deity.
- Bathe the idol with water, then panchamrit, then clean water, and dress him in new clothes with a crown and a peacock feather.
- Place him in the cradle and swing it gently, singing a lullaby.
- Offer butter, mishri, panjiri and sweets. Offer tulsi leaves with each.
- Sing the aarti, such as Om Jai Jagdish Hare, and share the prasad.
- Break the fast after the midnight puja, or in the morning, depending on your family.
The katha
Kamsa, king of Mathura, imprisoned his sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva after a heavenly voice said that her eighth child would end his rule. He killed their first six children. The seventh, Balarama, was moved before birth to the womb of Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva.
On the eighth night, in the rain, Krishna was born at midnight. The prison doors opened, the guards fell asleep, and Vasudeva carried the child in a basket across the Yamuna, which parted to let him pass. In Gokul he placed the child with Yashoda and Nanda and brought back their newborn daughter. When Kamsa came, the girl rose into the sky as the goddess and told him that his destroyer was already born elsewhere. Krishna grew up in Vraj, known for his butter stealing and his flute, and later ended Kamsa’s rule.
Regional variations
Customs differ by region and family; follow your family’s custom. In Maharashtra the next day is the Dahi Handi, when teams form human pyramids to break a pot of curd. In Mathura and Vrindavan the temples keep midnight abhishek and celebrations. In Gujarat and Odisha the festival has its own songs, and in the south Gokulashtami is marked with small footprints drawn from the door to the altar.
Fasting and food
Many devotees fast through the day, some without grain and some on fruit only, and break the fast at midnight or the next morning. It is a tradition, not a rule for all. If you are pregnant, diabetic, ill, elderly or on regular medication, ask your doctor, and eat on time if advised; Krishna is said to welcome a sincere offering of any kind.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Why is the puja at midnight?
Because the tradition holds that Krishna was born at midnight. The worship re-enacts the birth, with a bell and conch at the moment and the cradle swinging afterwards.
↳ What is Laddu Gopal?
Laddu Gopal is Krishna as a small child, usually a small metal idol that families care for through the year like a child, bathing and dressing him each day.
↳ Why are there sometimes two days?
Smarta and Vaishnava traditions use different rules for the day, so in some years they keep it a day apart. Follow the one your family or temple does.
↳ What is the bhog for Krishna?
Butter and mishri are the best known, along with panjiri, kheer, fruit and milk sweets. Offerings are made with tulsi leaves.