Congress MP Shashi Tharoor raises questions on Kerala’s unique Janmashtami date, sparking a debate on calendars and traditions (ANI)
Almost like a riddle, Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP, on August 17, queried why the festival of Janmashtami was celebrated on August 16 across India but not in Kerala.
On X (formerly Twitter), he noted that while devotees across the country celebrated the birth of Lord Krishna on Saturday, Malayali traditions would mark it for September 14, 2025, as per the Malayalam calendar.
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Using his classic sense of wit, Tharoor asked whether “even a Bhagwan could be born six weeks apart”. He went on to ponder whether dates for all festivals should be somehow harmonized so that followers could celebrate important occasions together. He appropriately compared this to the fact that Malayalis do not celebrate Christmas on a different date from the rest of the world.
Tharoor’s remarks got several replies over the X platform, while another user explained the unique Keralite system of calculations in detail. The said user clarified that most of India uses either the Purnimanta lunar calendar (month ending with full moon) or the Amanta lunar calendar (month ending with new moon for fixing the date of the festival).
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Janmashtami is normally celebrated on Ashtami tithi (eighth day of the waning moon) in either Shravana or Bhadrapada months according to local traditions. However, it is a custom in Kerala to follow the solar calendar peculiar to the state of Malyalam calendar wherein both solar and lunar alignments are used with astrological markers.
Keyly explained, the difference lies in Kerala's emphasis on the Rohini Nakshatra, the constellation associated with the birth of Lord Krishna. In Kerala, Janmashtami is celebrated when Ashtami tithi falls at midnight in conjunction with Rohini Nakshatra; this is accepted as the moment of Krishna's birth. However, in most other states, the presence of Rohini is not a prerequisite for its celebration.
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So, while the rest of India celebrated Janmashtami on August 16, Kerala celebrates it nearly a month later on September 14.
Tharoor's question not only threw out regional differences in the observance of religious practices but sparked larger discussions too: Should festivals based on faith and culture be rationalized to be standardized or should tradition pertaining to local culture dictate when festivals are to be observed?
India still on the course to celebrating diversity, contrasts with how Janmashtami in Kerala and elsewhere serve as a reminder that spirituality at times can differ in expression; and perhaps that is what beautifies our cultural tapestry.
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