Krishna Janmashtami marks the birth of Krishna, regarded in the Vaishnava tradition as the eighth avatar of Vishnu, who is said to have been born at midnight in a prison in Mathura. That midnight hour is why both Pasadena programs peak after 11 p.m. rather than at dinnertime. Both observances are open to the public, and the head priest at each said in interviews that non-Hindu neighbors are welcome to come and look.
At the Pasadena Hindu Temple, 676 S. Rosemead Blvd., the evening is split in two.
The Janmashtami Mela opens at 5:30 p.m. with a Krishna Jhanki showcase and prize distribution — jhankis are tableaux of scenes from Krishna’s life — followed by performances and Krishna Leela at 6:30 p.m. and Dahi Handi at 8:15 p.m., the breaking of a suspended pot of curd in a reenactment of Krishna and his companions raiding stores of butter. A puppet show, games, vendors and food stalls run throughout.
The worship program, Krishna Janm Utsav, begins at 9 p.m. with aarti, the offering of lamps, and continues with bhajans and kirtans at 9:30 p.m., puja and Krishna Abhisekh — the ceremonial bathing of the deity image — at 11:15 p.m., and Janm Utsav, aarti and prasad at 11:45 p.m.
Pandit Jagdish Rajgor, the temple’s head priest, said the night runs in two halves, with children’s activities first and worship after 9 p.m.
“In Hindu culture, a priest is called a pandit,” he said. He said he has been a Hindu priest in the Pasadena area for almost 20 years. Of the tableaux, he said: “We also have a jhanki. A jhanki shows how Krishna was born, who carried him, how he was born in the jail, and what happened afterward. We present the story step by step so people can walk through it and read about each part.”
At Ma Durga Temple, 2007 E. Foothill Blvd., the program has no fair component. It opens at 7 p.m. with Shri Krishna Kesar Panchamrut Abhishek — a bathing of the image in a five-ingredient mixture conventionally of milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar, with saffron added — followed by Nrutyam, a dance offering, at 8 p.m.; Sawan-Bhado Darshan at 8:30 p.m.; aarti at 9 p.m. and mahaprasad, the consecrated meal distributed afterward; Hari Naam Sankirtan at 10 p.m.; bhajan at 10:30 p.m.; and from 11:30 p.m. a Shri Krishna Charitra Katha, a narrated discourse on Krishna’s life, delivered by Panditji Mahendra Bhai Thakar, closing with aarti and prasad.
Ma Durga Temple is a goddess temple, and its presiding deity is Durga rather than Krishna. Speaking through a family member who translated, its priest, Mahendra Thakar, said images of Krishna and Radha are installed there and that the temple keeps the whole Hindu calendar.
“Yes, the temple is devoted to Ma Durga, and we do celebrate Madurga’s festivals that come twice a year, as well as Ma Durga Temple celebrates every Hindu festival, including Janmashtami,” he said. On the observance itself: “And on this day, we celebrate Lord Krishna’s birthday by recreating the atmosphere he had when he was born, according to Hindu mythology.”
Thakar said the congregation draws families from several regions of India and that the program is built to hold them together rather than pick among them.
“We will find some middle ground that are common in every culture, as well as we give the people liberty to celebrate their own way if they want, because at the temple, we are all together and everyone can celebrate in their own way,” he said.
For visitors, Rajgor said the temple asks no strict dress code but that clothing cover the body and stay conservative.
“People wear red, blue, or green, but not black,” he said.
Offerings are welcome but not required:
“People may also bring offerings such as fruit, flowers, or butter for Krishna.” Some observers fast through the day on fruit, juice and permitted foods until midnight; asked what those are, Rajgor said, “Fasting foods can include potatoes and yogurt.” Practice varies by family. “When people come to the temple, our volunteers guide them through everything step by step,” he said.
Readers who saw a different date on a calendar this week were not misreading. Janmashtami is fixed by lunar reckoning, and published dates for 2026 differ by tradition and by time zone; panchang tables disagree among Sept. 3, Sept. 4 and Sept. 5.
Both Pasadena temples settled on Friday. Rajgor was direct about how: “We have a group of almost 200 priests who communicate through WhatsApp. We decided to celebrate Lord Krishna’s Janmashtami on Friday, September 4.” Thakar said those following an Indian calendar are observing Sept. 3 and those following a Los Angeles calendar Sept. 4, and added, “And in this temple, we are celebrating on the fourth.” His guidance to families choosing between them: “And it is highly suggested that if you truly want to celebrate the Janmashtami, you follow Hindu calendar.”
The Rosemead Boulevard temple is operated by the Hindu Temple and Heritage Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that has held tax-exempt status since January 1999 and states its mission as promoting Hindu religion and its heritage. In the weeks after the January 2025 Eaton Fire the foundation ran a free drive-by distribution of supplies at the temple and delivered water, food, hygiene kits, clothing and school supplies to Foothill Unity Center and other Pasadena nonprofits, and supported evacuees at the Arcadia Community Center and Arcadia Public Library. The foundation described that work as seva, or selfless service — the same word that organizes the sponsorship tiers on its Janmashtami flyer, which start at $21 for the butter-and-sugar offering made to the infant deity.
Ma Durga Temple is associated with the Mother Divine Institute of Sacred Sciences, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt since April 1999 that describes itself as devoted to the Sacred Sciences and dedicated to Mother Divine. The institute filed its most recent Form 990 in May 2026, reporting revenue of $84,244 and net assets of $1,210,546, and lists Mahendrakumar B. Thakar as its priest.
The Rosemead Boulevard program can be reached through Pandit Jagdish Rajgor at (626) 679-8777 or Dr. Manju Kumar at (626) 533-9709; Ma Durga Temple can be reached at (626) 578-9009 or info@madurgatemple.org. Thakar said no appointment is needed on the festival night, though the temple recommends one on ordinary days.
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