Makar Sankranti 2026 — Date, Punya Kaal & Rituals

Makar Sankranti 2026 falls on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 — the solar festival marking the Sun's transit (Sankranti) from Sagittarius (Dhanu) into Capricorn (Makar Rashi). Unlike most Hindu festivals determined by the lunar calendar, Makar Sankranti follows the solar calendar and falls on January 14 every year (occasionally January 15 due to the Gregorian leap cycle). The Punya Kaal for 2026 runs from 09:03 to 17:47 IST in New Delhi — the auspicious window for bathing in sacred rivers, charity (daan), and sesame-jaggery (til-gur) offerings.

Makar Sankranti 2026 marks the Sun's entry into Capricorn — beginning Uttarayan, the six-month northward journey of the Sun that the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 8, verse 24) identifies as the path of light and liberation for souls departing the body. Wednesday is Mercury's day, adding communicative and intellectual energy to the year's first solar harvest festival.

Reviewed by Dr. Meenakshi Sharma, M.A. Sanskrit & Vedic Studies, Varanasi, with 20+ years of practice in Vedic festival traditions.

Understand how the Sun's transit into Capricorn affects your birth chart's Saturn-ruled houses with the free birth chart calculator.

Makar Sankranti 2026 is on Wednesday, January 14. The Sun enters Makar Rashi at approximately 09:03 IST on January 14, 2026. The Punya Kaal begins at the exact transit moment and runs until sunset at approximately 17:47 IST — a generous 8-hour window for all auspicious activities.

Year | Date | Day | Punya Kaal (New Delhi)

1. 2024 | January 15 | Monday | 09:02 – 17:44 IST
2. 2025 | January 14 | Tuesday | 09:03 – 17:45 IST
3. 2026 | January 14 | Wednesday | 09:03 – 17:47 IST
4. 2027 | January 14 | Thursday | 09:04 – 17:44 IST

The Punya Kaal is the sacred period beginning at the moment the Sun enters Capricorn and continuing until sunset. All ritual activities — sacred bathing, charity, sesame offerings, and kite flying — performed within this window carry the maximum spiritual merit. The Dharmasindhu specifies that charity offered during the Punya Kaal on Makar Sankranti produces results equivalent to a full year of charitable practice.

Makar Sankranti 2026 Punya Kaal by City

City | Punya Kaal Start | Punya Kaal End

1. New Delhi | 09:03 IST | 17:47 IST
2. Mumbai | 09:03 IST | 18:18 IST
3. Kolkata | 09:03 IST | 17:13 IST
4. Chennai | 09:03 IST | 18:00 IST
5. Bengaluru | 09:03 IST | 18:05 IST
6. Hyderabad | 09:03 IST | 17:55 IST
7. Ahmedabad | 09:03 IST | 18:20 IST

All cities share the same Sankranti moment (09:03 IST) since the transit is a single astronomical event. Punya Kaal end times vary by local sunset. Verify at drikpanchang.com for your exact location.

Makar Sankranti holds three simultaneous layers of meaning:

Astronomical: The Sun's transition into Capricorn marks the winter solstice's conclusion and Uttarayan's beginning — days lengthen from this point. The Mahabharata records that Bhishma Pitamah lay on his bed of arrows waiting for Uttarayan before permitting himself to die — the Uttarayan period is considered the most auspicious time for the soul's departure.

Agricultural: Makar Sankranti marks the first harvest of the new year — the Rabi (winter) crop's maturation. The festival is inseparable from harvest celebration across India under different names.

Astrological: The Sun in Capricorn is in Saturn's sign — a complex relationship between father (Sun) and son (Saturn). This transit initiates a period emphasising discipline, structured effort, and long-term building. Whatever you begin with focused effort during Uttarayan carries Saturn's sustained support.

Morning ritual (at or after 09:03 IST): 1. Sacred bath — in a river, or with sesame seeds mixed in bathwater if no river is accessible 2. Offer Arghya (water oblation) to the Sun facing east — recite the Surya Mantra: "Om Suryaya Namah" 12 times 3. Donate sesame (til) and jaggery (gur) to Brahmins or the deserving — this is the most important Makar Sankranti charity 4. Donate blankets, warm clothing, or food to those in need — winter charity carries exceptional merit 5. Eat khichdi (rice + lentil preparation) — the traditional Makar Sankranti meal, especially in North India and Bengal 6. Fly kites (primarily Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra) — kite flying at dawn while the Sun strengthens is a traditional Uttarayan celebration

The til-gur tradition: Trading sesame-jaggery sweets with the greeting "Til-gul ghya, god god bola" (Marathi: "Take sesame-jaggery, speak sweetly") is Maharashtra's central Makar Sankranti practice. Sesame represents Saturn and purification; jaggery represents sweetness and Solar abundance — the combination is both a seasonal food and a symbolic offering.

Makar Sankranti is celebrated under different names with distinct regional customs:

Region | Name | Key Custom

1. North India (UP, Bihar) | Makar Sankranti / Khichdi | Khichdi + sesame daan + sacred bath
2. Gujarat & Rajasthan | Uttarayan | Kite festival — dawn to dusk kite battles
3. Maharashtra | Makar Sankranti | Til-gul exchange, haldi-kumkum ceremony for women
4. Tamil Nadu | Pongal (Jan 14–17) | 4-day harvest festival; Pongal rice dish cooked in new pot
5. Andhra & Telangana | Sankranti | 3-day celebration with haridasu (folk performers) and bullock races
6. Karnataka | Sankranti | Sesame ladoo, sugarcane offering
7. Punjab | Lohri (Jan 13) + Maghi (Jan 14) | Bonfire on Lohri night; river bath at dawn on Maghi
8. Assam | Bhogali Bihu | Community feast, meji bonfire
9. West Bengal | Poush Sankranti | Sweet rice cakes (pithe), sesame sweets

In Vedic astrology, the Sun's transit into Capricorn (Makar Rashi) is one of the year's most significant planetary events. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn — the Sun's cosmic antagonist (Saturn is the Sun's son, and their relationship carries friction and tension). This annual encounter of Sun (soul, authority, light) with Saturn's domain (discipline, karma, limitation) creates a period of serious reckoning and structured effort.

For 2026 specifically, the Sun enters Capricorn on Wednesday — Mercury's day. This Sun-Mercury combination energises communication, education, commerce, and analytical intelligence during the Punya Kaal window. Business initiations, educational commitments, and communication projects begun on Makar Sankranti 2026 carry the Sun's directional power with Mercury's intellectual precision.

Check your Sun, Saturn, and Capricorn-house placements with the birth chart calculator to see how Makar Sankranti 2026 activates your personal chart.

Makar Sankranti is a gazetted public holiday in most Indian states. January 14, 2026 is a Wednesday — a regular working day in the national calendar, but schools and government offices in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu observe the holiday. Bank holidays vary by state. Private sector offices typically observe the day if in states where it is a gazetted holiday.