ISKCON Bhadaj will Host its Main Janmashtami Festival on September 4
ISKCON Bhadaj Takes Janmashtami Celebrations Across Gujarat with Swagatam Krishna 2026
The ISKCON Hare Krishna Temple at Bhadaj will mark Sri Krishna Janmashtami this year with a wider programme that will take religious and cultural events beyond the temple to towns, villages and communities across Gujarat.
Called “Swagatam Krishna 2026”, the programme will run from 22 August to 13 September, with events planned in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Sanand, Viramgam, Kadi and Kalol. The Bhadaj temple will also hold its Jhulan Mahotsav from 23 to 28 August, followed by its main Janmashtami celebration on 4 September.
The organisers say the programme is intended to bring the teachings associated with Lord Krishna and Janmashtami to people who may not regularly visit an ISKCON temple. The events will include spiritual and cultural programmes, devotional music and kirtan.
ISKCON Ahmedabad’s official festival calendar also lists 23 August as the beginning of Radha Govinda Jhulana Yatra, 28 August as its conclusion, and 4 September 2026 as Janmashtami, the appearance day of Lord Krishna. The calendar lists 5 September as Srila Prabhupada’s appearance day and Nandotsava.
Jaganmohan Krishna Dasji, President of the ISKCON Hare Krishna Movement, said the Gujarat programme has been planned at several locations during the month of Shravan.
According to the schedule released by the temple, programmes on 22 August at 6 pm will be held at Shri Sadaram Bapa Community Hall in Chandkheda, Umiya Party Plot in Gota and Balaji Oasis Lawn in Palaj, Gandhinagar. On 23 August at 6 pm, a programme is scheduled at Seasons Hotel under the Hare Krishna Movement in Rajkot.
Further programmes are planned on 29 August at 6 pm at Chandlodia Community Centre, Mangalpande Hall in Nikol and Meadows at Adani Shantigram. On 30 August at 6 pm, events are scheduled in Sanand, at Kalol Town Hall and at Vedmandir in Maninagar.
The programme will reach Surat and Vadodara on 4 September, the day of Janmashtami. The announced venues are Maheshwari Bhavan in Surat and Evamol in Vadodara.
The Bhadaj temple and ISKCON Gandhinagar, Sector 1, will also hold full-day Janmashtami programmes on 4 September. The announced timings are 8 am to 12.30 am. The celebrations are expected to include darshan, kirtan, devotional music, cultural performances and special Janmashtami programmes.
The final programme under the Swagatam Krishna 2026 schedule is planned at Kadi Town Hall on 13 September. The organisers have also planned programmes in around 10 villages of Viramgam taluka during the Shravan month.
For ISKCON, taking religious teachings outside its temples has been part of its stated purpose since the organisation was founded. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness was established by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in July 1966 in New York. Its stated purposes include spreading spiritual knowledge, teaching Krishna consciousness as described in the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, encouraging congregational chanting and distributing books and other writings.
Prabhupada’s work also helps explain why kirtan, Bhagavad Gita teachings and the Hare Krishna mantra remain central to ISKCON programmes. According to ISKCON’s official history, Prabhupada travelled to the United States in 1965 and began teaching Krishna consciousness in New York. He later established temples, rural communities, educational projects and a publishing organisation as the movement expanded.
ISKCON says Prabhupada travelled around the world during the 11 years after the organisation was founded. His books on the Krishna tradition were translated into many languages, helping the movement spread beyond India. The organisation today operates temples and centres in many countries.
The Gujarat programme follows that wider approach, while keeping the focus on local communities. Jaganmohan Krishna Dasji said the purpose of Swagatam Krishna 2026 is to take the message of Janmashtami beyond the temple and reach groups including elderly people and young people.
The organisers have also said that dignitaries and prominent members of local communities will attend programmes at different locations.
For devotees, the main gathering will remain at Bhadaj on 4 September. The festival will centre on the traditional celebration of Krishna’s appearance, with temple activities continuing into the night. The timing is also consistent with the 2026 ISKCON calendar, which places Janmashtami on Friday, 4 September.
The wider programme gives the festival a distinctly regional footprint this year. Instead of concentrating all activities around the Bhadaj temple, ISKCON Hare Krishna Movement has planned gatherings across cities, towns and villages, with the final event in Kadi on 13 September.
For Gujarat’s Krishna devotees, the coming weeks will therefore offer several opportunities to take part in Janmashtami-related programmes before and after the main festival day.
