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क्षण भर प्रतीक्षा करें
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क्षण भर प्रतीक्षा करें
Pausha (typically Jan 14)
The Sun's transit into Capricorn — the start of Uttarayan, the gods' day, India's most pan-regional harvest festival.
Date for this festival is not yet available. Please check back later.
Makar Sankranti is the only Hindu festival celebrated on (mostly) the same Gregorian date every year — usually January 14, occasionally 15 (and 13/16 in centennial drift). It is celebrated under different names across India: Makar Sankranti (North), Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Lohri (Punjab, Jan 13), Magh Bihu (Assam), Uttarayan (Gujarat, kite festival), Maghi (Haryana), and Khichdi (UP/Bihar). The end of malmas (impure month — when no auspicious sanskars happen) and beginning of Uttarayan reopens the auspicious season.
Makar Sankranti is one of the few Hindu festivals based on the solar (not lunar) calendar — it falls when the Sun enters Makar Rashi (Capricorn), marking the start of Uttarayan, the Sun's six-month northward journey. The Mahabharata records that Bhishma Pitamah, lying on his bed of arrows, waited for Uttarayan to release his soul — declaring this period most auspicious for moksha. Surya visiting his son Shani's house (Capricorn is Shani's sign) on this day is believed to dissolve father-son discord. The Ganga Sagar Mela at the Sundarbans, drawing millions, peaks on this day.
Presiding Deity:Surya (Sun)
Holy bath at sunrise — ideally in the Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, Narmada or local sacred river. Even a bath at home with added Ganga jal counts.
Surya Arghya: offer water from a copper kalash to the rising sun, with red flowers and roli. Recite 'Om Suryaya Namaha' or Surya Ashtakam.
Til-Gud distribution: exchange tilgul (sesame-jaggery) sweets — chikki, ladoo, gajak — with the phrase 'Tilgul ghya, god god bola' (take these sweets, speak sweetly).
Kite flying — especially in Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Telangana. Symbolises freedom and reaching for the divine. Sky filled with thousands of kites in Ahmedabad.
Daan: donate khichdi (rice + urad dal), sesame, jaggery, woollens, blankets to the needy. Bihari/UP tradition makes 'Khichdi' the festival's primary food.
Pitru Tarpan: offer water to ancestors. Sankranti is considered an excellent day for shraddha and tarpan to forefathers.
Visit a Surya temple — Konark, Modhera, Suryanar Kovil, Martand. Pongal in Tamil Nadu involves boiling new rice + milk in a clay pot until it overflows (symbol of abundance).
When is Makar Sankranti in 2026?
Makar Sankranti 2026 is on TBA. The exact moment depends on when the Sun enters Capricorn (sidereal Zodiac, Nirayana system) — usually January 14, occasionally January 15. Punya Kaal timing varies by city; check your local panchang.
Why is Makar Sankranti on January 14 every year, unlike other Hindu festivals?
Most Hindu festivals follow the lunar calendar, so they shift across Gregorian dates each year. Makar Sankranti is solar — based on Earth's position relative to the Sun — making its date stable on the Gregorian (also solar) calendar. Tiny precession-related drift adds a day every ~70 years, which is why ancient Sankrantis fell in late December.
Why are til (sesame) and gud (jaggery) the festival's primary foods?
Both are warming foods perfect for January's cold. Til contains essential oils that lubricate joints (helpful in winter); gud is iron-rich and warms the body. Spiritually, til is associated with longevity and cleansing of past karma; offering tilgul invokes sweet relations and Surya's blessings. The phrase 'Tilgul ghya, god bola' is itself a healing balm for relationships.
Is Pongal the same as Makar Sankranti?
Yes — Pongal in Tamil Nadu is the same astronomical event (Sun entering Capricorn), celebrated as a 4-day festival: Bhogi (Day 1, discarding old), Thai Pongal (Day 2, the actual Sankranti — boiling pongal dish), Mattu Pongal (Day 3, cattle worship), Kaanum Pongal (Day 4, family visits). Other regions also stretch celebrations across multiple days — Lohri (Punjab, eve of Sankranti), Bhogi (parts of South), and Magh Bihu in Assam.
What is the spiritual significance of Uttarayan?
Uttarayan (Sun's northward journey, Jan-Jul) is called Devayana — the path of the gods — and is considered most auspicious for spiritual sadhana, sanskars, and moksha. Dakshinayana (Sun's southward journey, Jul-Jan) is Pitruyana — the path of ancestors — better for shraddha and tantric sadhana. Bhishma's choice to die in Uttarayan, granting his soul direct moksha, set this principle for all Hindus.
Maha Shivaratri
The great night of Shiva — the convergence of Shakti and Shiva, when consciousness itself awakens.
Akshaya Tritiya
The day whose virtue never diminishes — most auspicious for new beginnings, gold purchase, and charity.
Buddha Purnima
The thrice-blessed full moon of Vaishakha — birth, enlightenment, and Mahaparinirvana of Lord Buddha.
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This page updates automatically every year.