According to Hindu scriptures such as the Mahabharata, Harivamsa, and the Krishna Charitas, the birth of Krishna took place in Mathura, located in present-day Uttar Pradesh, on the eighth day of the Krishna Paksha of the Bhadrapada month of the Hindu calendar, to Vasudeva Anakdundubhi, and his wife Devaki. According to Hindu mythology, Krishna was the eighth of the ten avatars of Vishnu, born in the Dvapara Yuga, the third age of the present Hindu cosmology. Krishna is revered as the Supreme Being in many Hindu traditions, most notably in the Krishnaism tradition of Vaishnavism.

Krishna Janmashtami, also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In certain Hindu texts, such as the Gita Govinda, Krishna has been identified as supreme God and the source of all avatars. Krishna's birth is celebrated and observed on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight in Shravana Masa or Bhadrapada Masa. This overlaps with August or September of the Gregorian calendar.