Datta Jayanti 2026

About Datta Jayanti

Datta Jayanti marks the birth of Dattatreya, the sage-god Hindus see as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in one form, on the full moon of Margashirsha. In 2026 it falls on Wednesday, 23 December 2026. It is kept most widely in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Gujarat and the Telugu states, with the largest gatherings at Datta shrines such as Ganagapur and Narsobawadi.

Dattatreya is a guru first and a god second for most of the people who keep this day. He is shown as a wandering ascetic, usually with three heads and six arms holding the emblems of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, standing with a cow and four dogs. In the usual reading the dogs are the four Vedas and the cow is the earth. Thursday is his day of the week, and many devotees keep it through the year, not only on Datta Jayanti.

The story of his birth

The best-known version is told of the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya, who was famous for her devotion to her husband. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva came to test her. Anasuya turned the three gods into infants and cared for them. When their wives came looking for them, she returned them, and the gods in turn gave the couple a son who carried all three: Dattatreya, "given" (datta) to the son of Atri.

Not every telling agrees. Some make Dattatreya a form of Vishnu alone, with his brothers Chandra and Durvasa as the forms of Brahma and Shiva. Some place his birth at Mahur in Nanded district of Maharashtra, others elsewhere in the Deccan or in Kashmir. The Bhagavata Purana adds a story told by Krishna to his friend Uddhava, of a wandering ascetic, identified with Dattatreya, who learned from 24 teachers in nature rather than from any human guru. Among them are the earth, which bears everything patiently, and the sky, which touches everything and clings to nothing.

The Datta tradition also counts later saints as his incarnations. The two most important are Shripad Shrivallabha of Pithapuram in Andhra Pradesh and Narasimha Saraswati, who lived roughly from 1378 to 1458. Their lives are told in the Guru Charitra, a Marathi text of 53 chapters by Saraswati Gangadhar, written in the 15th or 16th century.

How the date is set

Datta Jayanti falls on Margashirsha Purnima, the full moon of the month. Because his birth is celebrated at dusk, almanacs pick the day on which the full moon is running in the evening, not only the one on which it is running at sunrise. Most years the two give the same answer, but not always.

The week before, and the evening itself

For many Marathi families the day is the end of a week. They begin a full reading of the Guru Charitra about seven days earlier and finish it on Datta Jayanti. People who cannot manage the full parayan read a shortened version on the day itself. Some temples run a longer festival: the Manik Prabhu temple at Manik Nagar in Karnataka marks Datta Jayanti over five days, from Ekadashi to the full moon.

On the day, many people bathe early, fast until evening and do a home puja. The image is anointed with turmeric and sandalwood paste, and yellow flowers and sweets are common offerings. Bhajans and the Datta aarti follow, and in the evening temples celebrate the birth itself, followed by a shared prasad meal. At the Datta Mandir in Orulem, Vasco, in Goa, for example, the week of programmes ends in a maha prasad for hundreds of devotees.

The largest gatherings are at the Datta kshetras, the shrines connected with Narasimha Saraswati and the other Datta saints. Most have padukas, sacred sandals, rather than an image.

What to write

"Shri Gurudev Datta" works as both a greeting and a sign-off among Datta devotees in Maharashtra, much as "Jai Shri Krishna" does elsewhere.

If a friend is midway through a Guru Charitra reading, ask how far they have got, and keep any invitation for after they finish. For someone travelling to Ganagapur or Narsobawadi, a wish for a good darshan is the natural line.

Datta devotees also mark Guru Purnima as a major day, since Dattatreya is revered as the guru of gurus. The same month holds Gita Jayanti a few days earlier and Vivah Panchami before that.

How to wish someone on Datta Jayanti

A Datta Jayanti wish is a wish from one devotee of the guru to another. \"Shri Gurudev Datta\" is the usual greeting in Marathi homes, and wishes often mention the Guru Charitra reading, the evening birth celebration, or a trip to a Datta shrine. Keep it devotional and calm. Many people are fasting or finishing a week-long reading, so a short, warm line suits better than a long one.

Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.

Language tip: English, Marathi + Hindi and Kannada.

When is Datta Jayanti in each year?

Datta Jayanti is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 10 days earlier than in 2026.

Frequently asked questions