Festival · Radha and Krishna

Radhashtami

The birth of Goddess Radha, Lord Krishna’s beloved, on the bright eighth of Bhadrapada, fifteen days after Janmashtami. Barsana, her home, keeps it as its greatest day; her puja is at midday.

Radhashtami 2027
Wednesday 8 September 2027
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Wednesday 8 September 2027

Shukla Ashtami tithi

Begins
11:29 am, 7 Sept
Ends
12:45 pm
Sunrise
6:02 am
Sunset
6:35 pm
Moonrise
1:46 pm
Moonset
11:48 pm

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

Puja times

For New Delhi, Wednesday 8 September 2027

Madhyahna puja

11:04 am to 1:34 pm

Ashtami begins
11:29 am, 7 Sept
Ashtami ends
12:45 pm

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

  • Fast until the midday puja
  • Bathe and dress Goddess Radha and Lord Krishna’s images and offer flowers and sweets
  • Sing her names and bhajans
Radha, her names and Braj →

What it remembers

Radhashtami, also called Radha Ashtami or Radha Jayanti, is the birthday of Goddess Radha, Lord Krishna’s beloved, on the eighth day of the bright half of Bhadrapada, fifteen days after Janmashtami. Devotees fast until midday, when her puja is done. The great celebrations are at Barsana, where she grew up, at Rawal, where many hold she was born, and in the temples of Vrindavan.

The girl on the lotus

Goddess Radha, the best-known telling says, was found as a baby lying on a golden lotus in a pond by King Vrishabhanu of Braj and his wife Kirtida. They took her home and raised her as their own daughter.

Eyes that opened for Krishna

As devotees tell it, the little girl kept her eyes closed from her birth, and would not open them for anyone. Only when the infant Lord Krishna was brought before her did she open them, so that the first face she ever saw was his.

Rawal and Barsana

Two places in Braj hold Goddess Radha as their own. Rawal, a village near Mahavan, is believed to be where she was born, and its temple marks the spot. Barsana, on its hills, is where she grew up in Vrishabhanu’s home, and its temple of Shriji, Radha herself, stands on Bhanugarh hill. The scriptures differ on her birthplace, and both celebrate her birthday.

The heart of Krishna’s love

The Vaishnava traditions honour Goddess Radha in different ways. The Gaudiya Vaishnavas, the followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, see her as Lord Krishna’s own power of joy, his hladini shakti. The Nimbarka, Radhavallabh, Haridasi and Pushtimarg traditions of Braj and beyond all keep her birthday with great love. Some Puranas see her as a form of Goddess Lakshmi.

Keeping Radhashtami

The puja is done at midday, in the Madhyahna time shown on this page, and most devotees fast until then. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.

  1. Bathe early, put on clean clothes and take the vow (sankalpa) to fast.
  2. Fast until midday, as most do; some fast all day, some take one meal, and some keep the fast without water.
  3. Set up an image or picture of Goddess Radha, alone or with Lord Krishna, on a clean cloth, with a kalash of water beside it.
  4. At midday, bathe the image in panchamrit, a mix of milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar.
  5. Dress her in new clothes, adorn her with flowers, and offer flowers, incense, a lamp and sweets.
  6. Sing her praises and the songs of Goddess Radha and Lord Krishna, chant their names, and wave the lamp in aarti.
  7. Break the fast with the prasad, and share a meal with family and devotees.

What you need

  • An image or picture of Goddess Radha, or of Radha and Lord Krishna
  • Milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar for the panchamrit
  • New clothes for the image, and flowers to adorn her
  • Incense, a lamp and a kalash of water
  • Sweets and fruit for the bhog

Across India

Barsana

Lakhs of pilgrims climb to the Shriji temple, the Ladli Ji temple, on Bhanugarh hill. In the morning she is given a grand abhishek, the bath of her birthday, before the crowds.

Rawal

In the village held to be her birthplace, her birth is celebrated before dawn, and her image is bathed in great quantities of panchamrit and holy river water, then dressed in bright new clothes.

Vrindavan

Temples such as the Radhavallabh temple hold a mahabhishek after the morning aarti, and celebrations go on through the day.

ISKCON temples

Around the world, Radharani is given a mahabhishek, devotees fast until noon and sing kirtan, and a feast follows. In many temples her feet, kept covered through the year, are shown on this day, and again on Gopashtami.

When it falls

Shukla Ashtami of Bhadrapada. Kept on the day this tithi holds at sunrise.

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Radhashtami in the coming years

New Delhi, India time

  1. 2027Wednesday 8 September 2027
  2. 2028Sunday 27 August 2028

Questions

When is Radhashtami in 2027?

Wednesday 8 September 2027, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Radhashtami fall?

Shukla Ashtami of Bhadrapada. Kept on the day this tithi holds at sunrise.

How is Radhashtami kept?

Families fast until the midday puja, bathe and dress Goddess Radha and Lord Krishna’s images and offer flowers and sweets and sing her names and bhajans. Customs vary by region and family.

Who is honoured on Radhashtami?

Radha and Krishna. The birth of Goddess Radha, Lord Krishna’s beloved, on the bright eighth of Bhadrapada, fifteen days after Janmashtami. Barsana, her home, keeps it as its greatest day; her puja is at midday.

What is Radhashtami?

It is the birthday of Goddess Radha, Lord Krishna’s beloved, on the bright eighth of Bhadrapada. Devotees fast until midday, bathe her image in panchamrit, dress it in new clothes and sing her praises. It is kept above all in Braj, at Barsana and Rawal, and by Vaishnavas everywhere.

How many days after Janmashtami is Radhashtami?

Fifteen. Lord Krishna was born on a dark Ashtami, and Goddess Radha on the bright Ashtami that follows it, a fortnight later. In 2026, for example, Janmashtami was in early September and Radhashtami on Saturday 19 September.

Where was Goddess Radha born?

Tellings differ. Many hold that she was born at Rawal, a village near Mahavan, and that her family later moved to Barsana, where she grew up. Others hold that she was born at Barsana itself. Both places celebrate Radhashtami as her birthday.

Do you fast on Radhashtami?

Many do. Most devotees fast until midday, when the puja is done, and then share a feast. Some fast all day, some without water, and some take a single meal. Keep it lighter if your health needs it.

Does the Mahalakshmi Vrat begin on Radhashtami?

Yes. The sixteen-day Mahalakshmi Vrat begins on the same day, the bright Ashtami of Bhadrapada, and ends on the dark Ashtami that follows. Many households keep both fasts together.

Related

All festivals and vrats →