Datta Jayanti, also known as Dattatreya Jayanti, is a Hindu festival, commemorating the birth anniversary celebration of the Hindu god Dattatreya.
The festival is celebrated on the full moon night of Margashirsha. In 2020, the date falls today (Tuesday, 29 December).
Lord Dattatreya is the Trimurti of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the sustainer) and Shiva (the destroyer) collectively reincarnated as Dattatreya, a sage, who attained enlightenment without a guru. Some Hindu scriptures also say that he is the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu.
According to Drikpanchang, the Purnima Tithi for Dattatreya Jayanti 2020 begins at 7.54 am on 29 December and ends at 8.57 am on 30 December.
On Datta Jayanti, people take bath early in the morning in holy rivers or streams and observe fast. A puja of Dattatreya is performed with flowers, incense, lamps, and camphor. Devotees meditate on his image and pray to Dattatreya with a vow to follow in his footsteps. They remember Dattatreya's work and read the sacred books Avadhuta Gita and Jivanmukta Gita, which contain the god's discourse.
