The 12 Solar Transits of Sūrya
Saṅkrānti
Sidereal Solar Calendar · Puṇya Kāla · Sacred Snāna & Dāna
In Vedic astronomy, a Saṅkrānti marks the exact celestial instant the Sun passes sidereally (Lahiri ayanāṁśa) across the 30° threshold from one rāśi (zodiac sign) into the next. There are twelve such transits in a solar year, each opening a new solar month and accompanied by a sacred Puṇya Kāla window dedicated to purification, bath, and charity.
Vṛścika Saṅkrānti
Śabarimala Maṇḍala Vrata
The Sun enters sidereal Scorpio. Marks the beginning of the sacred 41-day Maṇḍala pilgrimage to Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala.
Exact celestial crossing
Full Day Pañcāṅga →The Four Great Saṅkrāntis
While every monthly transit carries merit, the two solstices (Ayana) and two equinoxes (Viṣuva) form the pillars of the Vedic solar calendar.
Makara Saṅkrānti
The Sun enters Makara (Capricorn) and turns northward: Uttarāyaṇa begins, the half-year regarded as the daytime of the gods. Celebrated as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri in Punjab, Magh Bihu in Assam, and Uttarāyaṇ in Gujarat. Bhīṣma in the Mahābhārata chose to leave his mortal body only after Uttarāyaṇa commenced.
Ritual: Gaṅgā-snāna, offering sesame and jaggery (til-guḍ), sharing sweet Pongal, and massive dāna.
Karka Saṅkrānti
The Sun reaches its northern apex and turns south: Dakṣiṇāyana begins, the half-year held to be the night of the devas and the period of ancestor remembrance. It marks the onset of the monsoon season and initiates the sacred four-month monastic vow period (Cāturmāsya).
Ritual: Tarpaṇa and śrāddha for ancestors, sacred river bath, fasting, and commencement of vows.
Meṣa Saṅkrānti
The Sun enters Meṣa (Aries), the first sign of the zodiac, inaugurating the sidereal solar New Year. Celebrated as Viṣu in Kerala, Puthāṇḍu in Tamil Nadu, Vaiśākhī in Punjab, Poila Boishakh in Bengal, and Bohag Bihu in Assam.
Ritual: Viewing the Viṣukkaṇi at dawn, listening to the Pañcāṅga, oil-bath, charity of water pots and umbrella.
Tulā Saṅkrānti
The Sun enters Tulā (Libra), the balance point of the zodiac. In South India, this begins the sacred month of Tulā Snāna in the river Kāverī, where all holy rivers are said to converge. In Assam, it is kept as Kati Bihu with earthen lamps lit in paddy fields.
Ritual: Sacred bath in the Kāverī or holy waters, lighting lamps, and praying for fertile harvest.
Understanding Puṇya Kāla (The Auspicious Window)
The exact moment of solar ingress represents a celestial transition point. Śāstras state that the ordinary worldly affairs should be paused during the Puṇya Kāla (the 16 ghaṭikās, approx. 6 hours and 24 minutes around the transit) in favour of spiritual contemplation:
A bath in a natural river, sacred lake, or ocean with the remembrance of Gaṅgā washes away past physical and subtle impurities.
Giving sesame seeds, blankets, jaggery, brass vessels, or food grains to the needy during Puṇya Kāla yields inexhaustible merit.
Chanting the Sūrya Gāyatrī or Āditya Hṛdaya Stotra, followed by water oblations (tarpaṇa) to ancestors and ṛṣis.
The Twelve Saṅkrāntis of 2026
Exact sidereal solar transit times computed using the Swiss Ephemeris for Asia/Kolkata.
| Saṅkrānti Name | Zodiac Sign | Civil Date | Transit Moment (Asia/Kolkata) | Observance / Note | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makara Saṅkrānti Major Transit | Makara | 14 January 2026 | 3:07 PM | Uttarāyaṇa / Winter Solstice | View → |
| Kumbha Saṅkrānti | Kumbha | 13 February 2026 | 4:08 AM | Kumbha Month / Māgha Snāna | View → |
| Mīna Saṅkrānti | Mīna | 15 March 2026 | 1:03 AM | Final Transit of Solar Year | View → |
| Meṣa Saṅkrānti Major Transit | Meṣa | 14 April 2026 | 9:32 AM | Solar New Year (Viṣu / Vaiśākhī) | View → |
| Vṛṣabha Saṅkrānti | Vṛṣabha | 15 May 2026 | 6:22 AM | Second Solar Month | View → |
| Mithuna Saṅkrānti | Mithuna | 15 June 2026 | 12:53 PM | Commencement of Mithuna month | View → |
| Karka Saṅkrānti Major Transit | Karka | 16 July 2026 | 11:39 PM | Dakṣiṇāyana / Summer Solstice | View → |
| Siṁha Saṅkrānti | Siṁha | 17 August 2026 | 7:58 AM | Sun in own Sign Leo | View → |
| Kanyā Saṅkrānti | Kanyā | 17 September 2026 | 7:52 AM | Viśvakarmā Jayantī | View → |
| Tulā Saṅkrānti Major Transit | Tulā | 17 October 2026 | 7:51 PM | Autumn Equinox / Kāverī Snāna | View → |
| Vṛścika Saṅkrānti | Vṛścika | 16 November 2026 | 7:43 PM | Śabarimala Maṇḍala Vrata | View → |
| Dhanu Saṅkrānti | Dhanu | 16 December 2026 | 10:25 AM | Commencement of Dhanurmāsa | View → |
ॐ भास्कराय विद्महे महाद्युतिकराय धीमहि।
तन्नो आदित्यः प्रचोदयात्॥
“We contemplate the radiant Bhāskara, we meditate upon the Lord of boundless effulgence. May that celestial Sūrya stimulate and inspire our intellect.”