Krishna Janmashtami

Significance

Janmashtami marks the birth of Lord Krishna, observed on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark half (Krishna paksha) of the lunar month of Bhadrapada -- classically, the night Krishna was born under the Rohini nakshatra. Devotees fast through the day and break the fast after the midnight Nishita Puja, timed to the moment tradition holds Krishna himself was born. Because both the tithi and the nakshatra have to line up, and because the tithi's start time can straddle a sunset, the exact observed date can differ slightly by location -- India generally follows the day the Ashtami tithi spans midnight.

Muhurat & Timing

The Nishita Puja -- the core midnight worship -- is timed to the middle of the night regardless of clock date, since that is what the tradition is actually anchored to, not the calendar day. For 2026 in New Delhi, that window falls between 11:57 PM on September 4 and 12:43 AM on September 5, with the fast broken (parana) after 6:01 AM on September 5.

Date verification: Verified against drikpanchang.com's Krishna Janmashtami page for New Delhi: observed Sep 4, 2026, Nishita Puja 11:57 PM Sep 4 to 12:43 AM Sep 5.