Shashi Tharoor Questions Kerala’s Different Janmashtami Date, Internet Explains

Thiruvananthapuram: While most of India marked Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna, on 16 August 2025, Kerala has chosen a very different date — the state will celebrate the festival almost a month later, on 14 September.

The unusual difference in dates sparked curiosity on social media after Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, posted a sharp observation on X. He wrote:

“Yesterday, 16 August, was celebrated as Bhagwan Sri Krishna’s #Janmashtami across India — except in Kerala! The Malayalam calendar shows this year’s Janmashtami date as 14 September, not yesterday. Surely even a Bhagwan can’t be born on two different days six weeks apart! Is there a case for rationalising the dates of religious holidays so everyone can celebrate together? After all, Keralites don’t observe a different Christmas!”

Tharoor’s tongue-in-cheek remark instantly went viral, drawing thousands of responses. Many netizens began explaining the logic behind Kerala’s distinct calendar practice.

According to cultural experts, most of India follows the Purnimanta or Amanta lunar calendars, which calculate Janmashtami as the eighth day (Ashtami) of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada or Shravana.

Kerala, however, bases its festival dates on the Malayalam solar calendar, combined with lunar star alignments. In this system, the celebration of Krishna’s birth is fixed not only by the Ashtami tithi but also by the Rohini Nakshatra, the star associated with Krishna. Only when both these factors coincide at midnight is Janmashtami observed. This year, that alignment falls on 14 September 2025.

Thus, while devotees across India have already observed Krishna Janmashtami with fasting, prayers, and celebrations, Kerala will continue to wait for its turn — proving once again how India’s diversity extends not only to culture and language but also to the timing of its festivals.