While much of India celebrated Janmashtami—the birth of Lord Krishna—on August 16, 2025, Kerala is set to mark the occasion nearly a month later, on September 14. The difference in celebration dates prompted senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor to raise questions on social media, igniting a conversation on the need for uniformity in religious observances across states.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Tharoor remarked, “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 further joked, “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 post drew widespread attention and responses from internet users who offered explanations. Most of India follows the Purnimanta or Amanta lunar calendars, which determine Janmashtami based on the Ashtami tithi (eighth lunar day) of Krishna Paksha in the month of Shravana or Bhadrapada. However, Kerala relies on the Malayalam solar calendar supplemented with lunar alignments. In Kerala, Janmashtami is observed not only when Ashtami falls but also when the Rohini Nakshatra—the star associated with Lord Krishna’s birth—is present at midnight. This year, the alignment occurs in mid-September, hence the delayed celebration in the state.

This divergence in observance has reignited discussions about whether national festivals, especially religious ones, should be celebrated uniformly or continue to respect regional and traditional calendar systems. For now, while most of India has completed its Janmashtami festivities, Kerala will celebrate the divine occasion a few weeks later.