Datta Jayanti 2026: Date, Purnima Timings and How It Is Celebrated

Featured image: Raja Ravi Varma / Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Datta Jayanti 2026 falls on Wednesday, 23 December 2026. It marks the birth of Lord Dattatreya, who is worshipped as a combined form of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and it is kept on Margashirsha Purnima, the full moon that closes the month of Margashirsha (also called Agrahayana or Agahan).

According to Drik Panchang, for New Delhi, the Purnima tithi begins at 10:47 AM on 23 December and ends at 6:57 AM on 24 December. The full moon is therefore running through the whole evening of the 23rd, which is when most temples hold the birth celebration.

When is Datta Jayanti 2026?

Datta Jayanti 2026 is on Wednesday, 23 December. The festival follows the Margashirsha Purnima tithi, and in 2026 that tithi covers the afternoon, evening and night of the 23rd in New Delhi.

Clock times shift by a few minutes from city to city, so open the Drik Panchang page for your own city, or follow your family panchang, before fixing a puja time. The calendar date in most of India stays the same.

Who is Lord Dattatreya?

Dattatreya is a Hindu deity seen as the Trimurti in one form. He is usually shown with three heads and six hands, one head each for Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and is often painted with a cow and four dogs around him. The best-known story makes him the son of the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya, whose devotion so impressed Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva that they were born to her as a son.

He is also remembered as the Adi Guru, the first teacher of the yogic and ascetic traditions that grew around him. Followers of the Datta Sampradaya treat the 14th and 15th century saints Shripad Shrivallabh and Narasimha Saraswati as his later incarnations, and the 51-chapter Marathi text Shri Guru Charitra tells their lives.

What are the 24 gurus of Dattatreya?

The 24 gurus are teachers Dattatreya is said to have found in nature rather than in people. The account appears in the Bhagavata Purana, where he explains what he learned from the earth, air, sky, water, fire, the moon, the sun, a python, the ocean, a honeybee, an elephant and others.

The earth taught patience, for instance, and the honeybee taught him to take only what he needed. The idea behind the list is simple and still quoted today: anyone who watches closely can learn from anything around them.

How is Datta Jayanti celebrated?

Datta Jayanti is celebrated with a morning bath, a fast, a puja to Dattatreya, readings from Datta texts and an evening birth ceremony at temples. The details change from one family and one region to the next, but most observances share a few steps.

• Morning bath: many devotees bathe early in a river where they can, as with other Purnima days.
• Fast: a day-long fast or a simple satvik meal is common. Elderly people, pregnant women and anyone on medication should keep it light and check with their doctor.
• Puja: flowers, incense, a ghee lamp and camphor are offered before an image of Dattatreya, often with the chant “Shri Gurudev Datta”.
• Readings: families read from the Shri Guru Charitra, along with the Avadhuta Gita and the Jivanmukta Gita.
• Evening janmotsav: many temples hold the birth celebration at dusk, with a cradle ceremony, bhajans and aarti, followed by prasad.

Feeding cows and dogs is also a common act of charity on the day. It echoes his iconography, in which four dogs stand for the four Vedas and the cow for the nourishing earth.

Datta Jayanti 2026 and other December festivals

Datta Jayanti sits at the end of a busy Margashirsha. Vivah Panchami falls on 14 December, and three days before the full moon comes Gita Jayanti on Mokshada Ekadashi, 20 December, the closing high point of the International Gita Mahotsav in Kurukshetra. A month earlier, Kartik Purnima 2026 was the full moon of the previous lunar month.

Like other full moon days, Margashirsha Purnima is also a popular day for a Purnima fast and Satyanarayana puja, and some families combine these with the Datta puja. If you are planning a longer trip around these dates, our India festival calendar for 2026-27 lists the other big dates of the season.

Where to see Datta Jayanti celebrations

The biggest Datta Jayanti gatherings take place at Dattatreya shrines in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. These are the best known:

Crowds at these temples peak on the evening of the full moon. If you plan to visit, book rooms early, carry warm clothes for the December nights on the Deccan plateau, and check the temple trust’s own notices for darshan timings, since they change for festival days. Our winter travel guide has more general tips on booking trains and stays in December.

Is Datta Jayanti a public holiday?

Datta Jayanti is not a gazetted national holiday. It is a major festival in Maharashtra and the Deccan, but whether offices and schools close depends on the state and on local lists, so check your state government’s holiday calendar for 2026.

Frequently asked questions

When is Datta Jayanti 2026?

On Wednesday, 23 December 2026. In New Delhi, the Purnima tithi runs from 10:47 AM on 23 December to 6:57 AM on 24 December, per Drik Panchang.

Is Datta Jayanti the same as Margashirsha Purnima?

Yes, Datta Jayanti is kept on Margashirsha Purnima, the full moon of the month. Many homes also keep a Purnima fast on the same day.

What time is the Datta Jayanti puja?

No single muhurat applies everywhere. Many temples hold the birth celebration at dusk on 23 December, while the Purnima tithi is running; follow your temple or family priest for the exact time.

What should I offer on Datta Jayanti?

Common offerings are flowers, incense, a ghee lamp, fruit and a simple sweet prasad, along with chanting and a reading from the Shri Guru Charitra. Local customs vary, so it is best to follow your family’s practice.

Sources: Drik Panchang, 2026 Dattatreya Jayanti date and time for New Delhi; Drik Panchang, 2026 Purnima dates; Datta Jayanti and Dattatreya (Wikipedia, citing Rigopoulos, Dattatreya: The Immortal Guru, Yogin, and Avatara, SUNY Press). Temple programmes and local muhurat can change, so confirm them before you travel or begin puja.

Featured image: Raja Ravi Varma / Wikimedia Commons, public domain (resized). Dattatreya, printed at the Ravi Varma Press, Malavli.