FestivalMargashirsha Purnima

Dattatreya Jayanti 2027

दत्तात्रेय जयंती

Dattatreya Jayanti on Margashirsha Purnima marks the birth of Dattatreya, son of Atri and Anasuya, who unites Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and is honoured as Adi Guru.

Next: Wednesday, 23 December 2026

Quick answer

Dattatreya Jayanti 2026 falls on Wednesday, 23 December 2026 (Margashirsha Purnima).

Dates follow the Delhi panchang and can shift by a day in your region, so confirm the muhurat with a local panchang.

Dattatreya Jayanti 2027 falls on Monday, 13 December, the full moon of Margashirsha. It marks the appearance of Lord Dattatreya, who unites Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in a single form, usually shown with three heads and six arms, accompanied by a cow and four dogs. Honoured as the Adi Guru of the yogic and Nath traditions, he is especially worshipped in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. The day is also called Datta Jayanti.

Dattatreya Jayanti 2027 date

Dattatreya Jayanti 2027 is on Monday, 13 December 2027 (Margashirsha Purnima). In 2026 it falls on Wednesday, 23 December. Many devotees read the Guru Charitra in the week before, finishing on Datta Jayanti.

The story of Dattatreya

Dattatreya is the son of the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya, famed for her devotion and purity. The Bhagavata Purana names him among the avatars of Vishnu, born when Atri prayed for a son who would embody the supreme. A widely told later tradition says that the three goddesses, wishing to test Anasuya, sent Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to her as wandering ascetics; by the power of her devotion she turned them into infants, and when they regained their forms they blessed her with a son who held all three, Dattatreya. His name joins “datta”, “given”, with “Atreya”, “son of Atri”.

In the Bhagavata Purana (Book 11), an avadhuta, identified by tradition with Dattatreya, tells King Yadu that he learned wisdom from 24 teachers in nature, including the earth, water, the sky, the moon, the python and the honeybee, a teaching that every part of creation can be a guru.

How Dattatreya Jayanti is observed

Puja: Dattatreya is worshipped with tulsi, flowers, incense and sweets, and the cradle ceremony is held at sunset, the traditional hour of his birth.
Guru Charitra parayan: a seven-day reading of the Guru Charitra ends on this day.
Chanting: “Digambara Digambara Shripad Vallabha Digambara” and the Datta mantra.
Pilgrimage: Ganagapur, Narsobawadi, Audumbar and Girnar draw large crowds.

The meaning of Dattatreya Jayanti

Dattatreya shows that the creator, preserver and transformer are one, and that wisdom can be learned from everything around us. See every festival on the Hindu festival calendar.