'Bhagwan Can't Be Born On Two Different Days': Shashi Tharoor Questions Why Janmashthmi Was Not Celebrated In Kerala On August 16

While most of India celebrated Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna, on Saturday, 16 August 2025, Kerala will mark the occasion almost a month later, on 14 September.

Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor took to X to ask why the state follows a different date.

“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,” he posted.

“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 quipped.

The internet was quick to provide answers. One user explained that most of India relies on the Purnimanta or Amanta lunar calendars, which place Janmashtami on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada or Shravana.

Kerala, on the other hand, uses the Malayalam solar calendar along with lunar calculations. Here, Janmashtami isn’t just fixed by the Ashtami tithi but also by the presence of the Rohini Nakshatra, the star linked to Krishna’s birth, at midnight. Since this alignment falls later this year, Kerala will celebrate on 14 September.

So while the rest of India has already observed the festival, Kerala will have its turn a few weeks later.