Makar Sankranti 2081
The Sun's entry into sidereal Capricorn — kite-flying, til-gud and holy dips; celebrated as Pongal in the south.
Today's Panchang
Kashi reference · computed live- Tithi
- Ashtami
- till 18:59
- Nakshatra
- Bharani
- till 20:18
- Yoga
- Ganda
- Karana
- Balava
- Sunrise
- 05:27
- Sunset
- 18:40
- Moon sign
- Aries
- Sun sign
- Cancer
Muhurat & timings
Kashi/IST · astronomically computed- Sankranti moment17:21
Festival days follow the classical attribution rules — udaya (sunrise), pradosha (evening), nishita (midnight), madhyahna or aparahna vyapini as each festival prescribes — computed for Kashi/Varanasi (IST). Regional observance can differ by a day in some years.
Read the Makar Sankranti puja vidhi, vrat rules and kathaMakar Sankranti — Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Makar Sankranti fall on almost the same date every year?
It is a solar festival, fixed by the Sun's entry into sidereal Makara, not by a lunar tithi. Lunar festivals drift against the civil calendar; this one does not.
What is punya kaal?
The meritorious window reckoned from the moment of the sankranti, during which bathing and charity carry the festival's full merit. If the sankranti falls after sunset, it shifts to the next morning.
Why are til and gur given on this day?
Sesame and jaggery are exchanged with the wish that speech between the giver and receiver stay sweet. Giving — of til, gur, blankets or grain — is the central act of the day.
Other major festivals in 2081
- Vasant Panchami — 14 February 2081
- Maha Shivaratri — 8 March 2081
- Holika Dahan — 24 March 2081
- Holi — 25 March 2081
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 10 April 2081
- Ram Navami — 17 April 2081
- Akshaya Tritiya — 11 May 2081
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 8 July 2081
- Guru Purnima — 20 July 2081
- Nag Panchami — 9 August 2081
- Raksha Bandhan — 19 August 2081
- Krishna Janmashtami — 27 August 2081
- Hartalika Teej — 5 September 2081
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 6 September 2081
- Anant Chaturdashi — 16 September 2081
- Pitru Paksha begins — 19 September 2081
- Sharad Navratri begins — 3 October 2081
- Durga Ashtami — 10 October 2081
- Maha Navami — 11 October 2081
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 11 October 2081
- Karwa Chauth — 21 October 2081
- Dhanteras — 29 October 2081
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 31 October 2081
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 31 October 2081
- Govardhan Puja — 1 November 2081
- Bhai Dooj — 2 November 2081
- Chhath Puja — 6 November 2081
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 16 November 2081
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 16 November 2081
- Hindu Festivals 2081 →