Krishna Janmashtami 2013
Krishna's birth at midnight — Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami prevailing at nishita.
Muhurat & timings
Kashi/IST · astronomically computed- Sankalp (sunrise)05:37
- Nishita puja (midnight)23:35 – 00:23
- Fasting window (tithi)02:14 → 2013-08-29 · 04:17
- Parana (tithi ends)04:172013-08-29
Festival days follow the classical attribution rules — udaya (sunrise), pradosha (evening), nishita (midnight), madhyahna or aparahna vyapini as each festival prescribes — computed for Kashi/Varanasi (IST). Regional observance can differ by a day in some years.
Read the Krishna Janmashtami puja vidhi, vrat rules and kathaKrishna Janmashtami — Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Janmashtami puja performed at midnight?
Krishna is held to have been born at midnight under Rohini nakshatra, so the puja is kept for nishita kaal rather than the morning. The fast is broken after it.
Why do Janmashtami dates sometimes differ by a day?
Smarta tradition follows the Ashtami tithi at midnight; Vaishnava tradition may additionally require Rohini nakshatra, and observes udaya-tithi rules differently. When the two do not coincide, the observances separate by a day.
What can be eaten during the Janmashtami fast?
Fruit, milk, curd, water and vrat flours such as kuttu and singhara. Grains, onion and garlic are avoided until the fast is completed the next morning.
Other major festivals in 2013
- Makar Sankranti — 14 January 2013
- Vasant Panchami — 15 February 2013
- Maha Shivaratri — 10 March 2013
- Holika Dahan — 26 March 2013
- Holi — 28 March 2013
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 11 April 2013
- Ram Navami — 19 April 2013
- Akshaya Tritiya — 12 May 2013
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 10 July 2013
- Guru Purnima — 22 July 2013
- Nag Panchami — 12 August 2013
- Raksha Bandhan — 21 August 2013
- Hartalika Teej — 8 September 2013
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 9 September 2013
- Anant Chaturdashi — 18 September 2013
- Pitru Paksha begins — 20 September 2013
- Sharad Navratri begins — 5 October 2013
- Durga Ashtami — 12 October 2013
- Maha Navami — 13 October 2013
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 13 October 2013
- Karwa Chauth — 22 October 2013
- Dhanteras — 1 November 2013
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 2 November 2013
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 3 November 2013
- Govardhan Puja — 4 November 2013
- Bhai Dooj — 5 November 2013
- Chhath Puja — 8 November 2013
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 17 November 2013
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 17 November 2013
- Hindu Festivals 2013 →