2026 Sankranti Calendar
Timings calculated for New Delhi
Makar Sankranti
The Sun enters Makara, traditionally kept as the beginning of Uttarayana and the most auspicious of the twelve Sankrantis (an Ayana Sankranti). Celebrated nationwide as Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, Magh Bihu and the Uttarayan kite festival, with holy dips at Ganga Sagar.
Kumbha Sankranti
The Sun enters Kumbha, one of the four Vishnupadi Sankrantis, opening the Kumbha solar month. Traditionally a time of river-bathing and charity, kept with special sanctity at Prayagraj, where it usually falls within the Magh Mela and Kalpavas period.
The Sankranti falls before sunrise, so snan and daan are kept after sunrise the same day.
Meena Sankranti
The Sun's ingress into Meena, a Shadashiti-mukha Sankranti, opens the twelfth and final solar month of the year. Meena Sankranti closes the zodiac's circle before the Sun re-enters Mesha, and is traditionally kept as a quiet time of ritual bathing, charity and reflection.
The Sankranti falls before sunrise, so snan and daan are kept after sunrise the same day.
Mesha Sankranti
The Sun's ingress into Mesha opens the solar year and is classed as a Vishuva Sankranti. It is the great solar New Year, marked across India as Baisakhi, Vishu, Puthandu, Pohela Boishakh and Bohag Bihu.
Vrishabha Sankranti
The Sun enters Vrishabha, one of the four Vishnupadi Sankrantis, beginning the second solar month. It is the calmest of the year's transits — no great festival, but a settled, fertile time kept with quiet charity as the fields ripen toward the monsoon.
Mithuna Sankranti
The Sun's transit into Mithuna is a Shadashiti-mukha Sankranti. In Odisha it is the great festival of Raja Parba, honouring Bhumi (Mother Earth) and womanhood, when the land is given rest before the monsoon sowing.
Karka Sankranti
The Sun enters Karka, traditionally kept as the beginning of Dakshinayana — the celestial 'night of the gods' and the counterpart to Makar Sankranti. In Kerala it opens Karkidaka Masam, the Ramayana month of prayer and Ayurveda.
The Sankranti falls after sunset, so snan and daan are kept in the latter half of the same day.
Simha Sankranti
The Sun's entry into Simha, a Vishnupadi Sankranti, opens Chingam — the Malayalam New Year and the Onam season in Kerala. Leo is the Sun's own sign, so this transit carries strength, leadership and self-assurance.
Kanya Sankranti
The Sun's ingress into Kanya is a Shadashiti-mukha Sankranti and the astronomical anchor of Pitru Paksha, the fortnight of ancestral shraddha. It is widely observed as Vishwakarma Puja, honouring the divine architect of creation.
Tula Sankranti
The Sun reaches Tula, the second of the two Vishuva Sankrantis, and the Tula solar month begins. In Karnataka the Kaveri is worshipped at Talakaveri as Tula Sankramana.
The Sankranti falls after sunset, so snan and daan are kept in the latter half of the same day.
Vrischika Sankranti
The Sun's transit into Vrischika, a Vishnupadi Sankranti, opens the Mandala Kalam — the 41-day Sabarimala pilgrimage season devoted to Lord Ayyappa. A time of vratam, discipline and inner depth.
The Sankranti falls after sunset, so snan and daan are kept in the latter half of the same day.
Dhanu Sankranti
The Sun enters Dhanu and begins Dhanurmasa, also called Kharmas — a Shadashiti-mukha Sankranti. Weddings pause, yet it is the holiest month for Vishnu worship, with pre-dawn Tiruppavai recitation until Makar Sankranti.
About Sankranti
Sankranti marks the Sun’s monthly transit into a new zodiac sign. This page lists the exact Sankranti moment and Punya Kaal for your selected city and year.
The Sun enters a new rashi (zodiac sign) roughly every month; this transit is called Sankranti.
Punya Kaal is the meritorious window; Maha Punya Kaal is a subset considered especially auspicious.
All timings are computed per city timezone using precise solar calculations.
Uttarayana is the Sun’s northward turn, which falls near 21 December. Sankranti is measured against the fixed stars, and precession has opened a gap of about 24 days — so the Makara ingress now lands in mid-January.
"Sankranti is the day of divine grace"
The ancient scriptures state that observing Sankranti with devotion grants the same merit as performing thousands of sacrifices and pilgrimages.
Observance & Customs
Common practices on Sankranti include ritual bath (snan), charity (daan), mantra jap, and offering arghya to Surya (the Sun). Follow family and regional customs.
- Perform snan at or after Sankranti moment
- Maintain cleanliness and satvik conduct
- Donate food, sesame, or clothing as feasible
- Offer help to the needy with humility
- Chant Gayatri or Surya mantras
- Offer arghya to the Sun during Punya Kaal
Important Reminder
Always consult with your spiritual guide or family traditions for specific observance practices. The timings may vary based on your location and local customs. Listen to your body and practice with devotion rather than mere ritual.
Sankranti FAQs
What is Sankranti?
Sankranti is the Sun’s transit into a new rashi (zodiac sign). It occurs monthly and is observed with snan, daan, jap, and Surya arghya.
What is Punya Kaal?
Punya Kaal is the meritorious window around the Sankranti moment. Maha Punya Kaal is a subset considered even more auspicious where applicable.
Are timings local to my city?
Yes. All timings are computed in the selected city’s timezone; avoid locale-formatted strings to keep SSR/CSR consistent.
What if only the moment is shown?
If Punya Kaal is not available, we show the precise Sankranti moment. JSON‑LD reflects the exact moment as startDate.
Is Makara Sankranti special?
Yes. Makara Sankranti marks the Sun entering Capricorn and is widely celebrated, often with charitable acts and new beginnings.
Do customs vary regionally?
Yes. Follow family, community, or regional traditions for observance details and recommended practices.
Why is Makar Sankranti on 14 January and not the December solstice?
Uttarayana, the Sun’s northward turn, happens at the December solstice around 21 December. But Sankranti is calculated in the sidereal zodiac, measured against the fixed stars, while the seasons follow the tropical zodiac, measured from the equinox. Earth’s axis precesses by about one degree every 72 years, so the two systems have drifted apart. They coincided around 285 CE; today the gap, called the ayanamsa, is about 24.2 degrees, which the Sun takes roughly 24 days to cross. That is why the Sun’s entry into sidereal Makara now falls around 14 January.
Why is Makar Sankranti on 14 January some years and 15 January in others?
Two separate effects. The short one is the leap cycle: the moment of the Sun’s entry slides about six hours later each year, then a leap day pulls it back, so it circles between the afternoon of 14 January and the small hours of 15 January. On top of that, if the moment falls after sunset the entire observance is postponed to the next sunrise. That is why 2026 is 14 January (the Sun enters at 3:07 PM) while 2027 is 15 January — the Sun enters at 9:10 PM on the 14th, after sunset. The long, slow effect is precession, which pushes the whole pattern later by roughly one day every 72 years: the entry fell on 7 January around 1500 and on 13 January around 1900, and will reach 21 January by 2500.
Does this mean the traditional date is wrong?
No. The two systems answer different questions. The solstice marks the astronomical turning point of the seasons, while Makar Sankranti marks the Sun’s entry into the sidereal sign of Makara — which is what the Hindu calendar has always measured and what the observance is tied to. Both are correct within their own frame. This page reports the sidereal moment using the Lahiri ayanamsa, the Indian national standard.