Krishna Janmashtami will be observed on September 4, but devotees in several cities will welcome Krishna after midnight on September 5, according to the Hindu Almanac. The difference comes down to local Nishita Kaal timings.
For anyone planning Krishna Janmashtami celebrations this year, the calendar may look a little confusing.
Drik Panchang’s city-wise calculations show this clearly. Janmashtami is linked with Krishna Paksha Ashtami, the eighth tithi of the waning Moon. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, Hindu lunar dates do not begin and end at midnight. This is why simply looking at the date after midnight can be misleading. The Hindu calendar is tracking the position and movement of the Moon rather than treating midnight as the automatic end of a festival day. Traditional Hindu observance places Krishna’s birth at midnight. The period selected for the celebration is known as Nishita Kaal. So the difference is not that Krishna Janmashtami suddenly changes dates when a devotee travels from Kolkata to Mumbai. The local calculation of the midnight worship period changes. Rohini has a special place in the traditional story of Krishna’s birth. In Jyotish and Hindu tradition, Krishna’s birth is associated with Rohini Nakshatra. Astrologers generally interpret Rohini through themes such as growth, beauty, nourishment and creativity. These are traditional astrological interpretations and should not be treated as scientific effects.
The festival will be observed on September 4, 2026, but in cities such as Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad, the main midnight puja begins only after the clock has moved into September 5. In Kolkata, the same worship window ends before midnight on September 4. Also Read Janmashtami 2026: What Krishna represents in the spiritual tradition, according to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar It is calculated according to the local night, so the puja window can begin before midnight in one city and after midnight in another. Kolkata : September 4 at 11:13 PM to 11:59 PM. New Delhi : September 4 at 11:57 PM to September 5 at 12:43 AM. Chennai : September 4 at 11:45 PM to September 5 at 12:31 AM. Hyderabad : September 4 at 1:52 PM, to September 5 at 12:38 AM. Bengaluru: September 4 at 11:55 PM, to September 5 at 12:42 AM. Pune: September 5 at 12:10 AM to 12:57 AM. Mumbai: September 5 at 12:14 AM to 1:01 AM. Ahmedabad: September 5 at 12:16 AM to 1:02 AM. This year, the Ashtami Tithi in the Kolkata calculation begins on September 4 and continues just past midnight into September 5, ending at 12:13 AM. Drik Panchang gives the Nishita Puja window as 11:13 PM to 11:59 PM on September 4, with the midnight moment calculated at 11:36 PM. Rohini Nakshatra from 12:29 AM until 11:04 PM on September 4, according to Drik Panchang. The Ashtami Tithi continues until 12:13 AM on September 5. September 5 is also the date for Dahi Handi in many calendars, adding another reason the following date appears alongside Janmashtami.
Because the fast-breaking time, or Parana, can fall the following morning, devotees may also see September 5 on calendars.
This year, Janmashtami will occur on September 4. Krishna Janmashtami falls on Friday, September 4, 2026, according to Drik Panchang. The Ashtami Tithi begins at 2:25 AM on September 4 and ends at 12:13 AM on September 5 for Kolkata.
But what varies from place to place is the timing of the Nishita Kaal, the period around midnight traditionally chosen for Krishna’s birth celebration. Nishita Kaal is not a fixed nationwide clock time.
