Makar Sankranti (Uttarayan)
Surya entering Makara (Capricorn) — the start of Uttarayan, auspicious northward solar journey
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Makar Sankranti / Uttarayan — January 14, when Surya enters Makara and the auspicious northward solar journey begins. Observed by Bishnois with dawn Surya arghya, til-jaggery laddu exchange with neighbors, gau-seva (cattle bathed and offered grass), and STRICT prohibition on glass-coated manjha kite-string (it kills birds — violates niyams #6, #7). One of the few solar festivals in the lunar Bishnoi calendar.
Dates 2026–2027
Mantra
विष्णो विष्णो तू भजे रे प्राणी
Vishno Vishno tu bhaje re prani
O living being, chant Vishnu, chant Vishnu — Jambhoji's mool mantra, recited on Makar Sankranti (Uttarayan).
How to recite
Makar Sankranti (January 14, when Surya enters Makara/Capricorn — one of the year's two solar transitions, the start of Uttarayan) is the great winter harvest festival celebrated across India. For Bishnois in Marwar: wake before dawn, bathe (ideally in a river or well), perform sandhya facing the rising sun, and offer water (arghya) to Surya with the Surya mantra. The day's signature ritual is til-distribution: prepare and exchange til-jaggery laddus, til-gud chikki, and til-papdi with neighbors and the village (the Marathi 'til-gul ghya, god-god bola' tradition is shared). Cattle (cows, bullocks) are bathed, decorated with turmeric and vermilion, and offered fresh grass and jaggery — gau-seva is central to the day (niyam #19). NO kite-flying with glass-coated manjha — Bishnois forbid it as it kills birds and injures livestock; only plain cotton string is permitted. Many Bishnoi villages run public 'No-Manjha Sankranti' campaigns.
Benefits
Makar Sankranti marks the sun's northward journey (Uttarayan) — considered the most spiritually auspicious half of the year, when major life rituals (weddings, sacred-thread ceremonies) traditionally resume. The til-jaggery exchange ('have these sweet sesames and speak sweetly') is one of India's most beautiful neighborhood traditions. For Bishnois, the festival's gau-seva and the no-manjha rule are direct enactments of the 29 niyams. The Surya arghya at sunrise is also one of the few solar observances in the otherwise lunar Bishnoi calendar.
✦ Special Note
Per standard solar calendar. Makar Sankranti is on January 14 in both 2026 and 2027 (occasionally January 15 in some years due to precession). The no-manjha rule is non-negotiable in observant Bishnoi households. Dates per Drik Panchang (drikpanchang.com, Rajasthan/Marwar Purnimanta reckoning); community observance details per the Akhil Bharatiya Bishnoi Mahasabha and Mukam (Muktidham Mukam) Mandir Sansthan calendars.
Foods Allowed
Foods to Avoid
Meal Idea
Til-jaggery laddu and til-gud chikki exchanged with neighbors after the dawn Surya arghya; bajra-til khichdi with ghee for the family meal.
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