Sankranti संक्रांती
Sankranti is the day the Sun crosses from one zodiac sign into the next - a solar milestone that comes twelve times a year. The greatest of them, Makar Sankranti, opens the harvest season and the Sun’s northward course.
What is Sankranti?
Where the tithis, nakshatras and most festivals follow the Moon, a Sankranti follows the Sun: it is the instant the Sun leaves one rashi and enters the next. Because the Sun takes about a month to cross each sign, there are twelve Sankrantis in a year, each named for the sign entered - Mesha Sankranti, Karka Sankranti, and so on. They are among the few observances fixed to the solar year, so their Gregorian dates barely shift.
Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti - the Sun’s entry into Makara (Capricorn), around 14 January (next on 15 January 2027) - is the most celebrated Sankranti and one of the few Hindu festivals set by the solar calendar. It is kept across the land under many names: Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri on its eve in Punjab, Uttarayan with its famous kites in Gujarat, and Magh Bihu in Assam. Sesame and jaggery sweets (til-gul), holy bathing and charity mark the day, which traditionally opens the Sun’s auspicious northward course. Read the full Makar Sankranti guide →
Uttarayana and Dakshinayana
The year divides into the Sun’s two courses. Makar Sankranti is traditionally observed as the turn to Uttarayana, the northward, brighter, auspicious half; Karka Sankranti in mid-July marks the turn to Dakshinayana, the southward, inward half. Major sacraments are favoured in Uttarayana.
The twelve Sankrantis
The Sun enters each sign once a year; here is the whole cycle, with each Sankrantis’s sign and season:
| Sankranti | Sun enters | Around | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesha Sankranti | Mesha (Aries) | mid-April (~14 Apr) | The solar new year - kept as Baisakhi, Vishu, Puthandu, Pohela Boishakh and Bihu across the regions. |
| Vrishabha Sankranti | Vrishabha (Taurus) | mid-May | The Sun enters Vrishabha - a day for holy bathing and charity. |
| Mithuna Sankranti | Mithuna (Gemini) | mid-June | Marked as Raja Parba in Odisha, honouring the earth's fertility and the coming monsoon. |
| Karka Sankranti | Karka (Cancer) | mid-July (~16 Jul) | The Sun turns to its southern course - traditionally the start of Dakshinayana. |
| Simha Sankranti | Simha (Leo) | mid-August | The Sun enters its own sign; in Kerala it opens Chingam, the month of the Onam season. |
| Kanya Sankranti | Kanya (Virgo) | mid-September | Observed with Vishwakarma Puja in many regions. |
| Tula Sankranti | Tula (Libra) | mid-October | Kept as Kati Bihu, and in Karnataka as Tula Sankramana bathing at the Kaveri. |
| Vrischika Sankranti | Vrischika (Scorpio) | mid-November | Opens the Malayalam month of Vrischikam and the 41-day Sabarimala pilgrimage season. |
| Dhanu Sankranti | Dhanu (Sagittarius) | mid-December | Opens Dhanurmasa (Margazhi), a month of dawn worship of Vishnu. |
| Makar Sankranti | Makara (Capricorn) | mid-January (~14 Jan) | The great harvest festival - Pongal, Lohri, Uttarayan (kites) and Magh Bihu - the turn toward the northward course (Uttarayana). |
| Kumbha Sankranti | Kumbha (Aquarius) | mid-February | The Sun enters Kumbha - a day for holy bathing at sacred river confluences and charity. |
| Meena Sankranti | Meena (Pisces) | mid-March | The Sun enters Meena, the last sign, closing the solar year before Mesha Sankranti. |
Frequently asked questions
What is Sankranti?
Sankranti is the moment the Sun leaves one zodiac sign (rashi) and enters the next - a solar event, unlike the lunar tithis. It happens twelve times a year, about once a month, and each is named for the sign the Sun enters (for example Karka Sankranti or Makar Sankranti).
How many Sankrantis are there in a year?
Twelve - one for each rashi, as the Sun completes its circle of the zodiac over the year. Makar Sankranti (the Sun entering Makara / Capricorn, around 14 January) is by far the most celebrated.
When is Makar Sankranti?
Makar Sankranti falls around 14 January each year; the next one for Mumbai, MH is on 15 January 2027. It is one of the few Hindu festivals fixed to the solar calendar, so its Gregorian date barely moves.
When is the next Sankranti in Mumbai, MH?
The next Sankranti in Mumbai, MH is Simha Sankranti, on 17 August 2026.
What is the difference between Uttarayana and Dakshinayana?
They are the Sun's two half-yearly courses. Makar Sankranti is traditionally kept as the turn to the northward course (Uttarayana), held auspicious; Karka Sankranti (mid-July) marks the turn to the southward course (Dakshinayana).
Last updated 26 July 2026