Hindu festivals · Uttarayan, Pongal, Khichdi

Makar Sankranti 2027: date and Sankranti time

Makar Sankranti marks the day the Sun enters Makara (sidereal Capricorn). It is one of the few Hindu festivals set by the Sun rather than the Moon, so its date stays close to 14 or 15 January.

Next date: Friday, 15 Jan 2027

Makar Sankranti timings

Detail	2027	2028
Date	Friday, 15 Jan 2027	Saturday, 15 Jan 2028
Sankranti moment (Sun enters Makara)	14 Jan, 9:12 pm	15 Jan, 3:24 am
Punya kaal	6:53 am to 5:52 pm	6:53 am to 5:52 pm

All times are IST. Tithi times hold for all of India; sunrise, sunset, moonrise and the muhurat windows are for Nagpur, in the North and Central Indian (purnimanta) tradition, and shift by a few minutes in other cities.

How it is commonly observed

Many families take an early bath, often in a river, and give til (sesame), jaggery, rice or warm clothes as daan.
Til and gud sweets are shared; in Maharashtra people say "tilgul ghya, god god bola".
Kite flying is part of the day in Gujarat and many other places.
Khichdi is cooked and offered in much of North India.

Where regions differ

The same Sankranti is kept as Uttarayan in Gujarat, Pongal in Tamil Nadu (a three to four day festival), Magh Bihu in Assam and Khichdi in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Lohri in Punjab is the evening before.

All the regional calendars on this site that list it give the same date in 2027.

How the date is worked out

Makar Sankranti is the day the Sun enters sidereal Makara (Lahiri ayanamsa). When it enters after sunset, the festival is kept on the next day. The Sun and Moon positions are computed for each year (sidereal, Lahiri ayanamsa), so the dates are not copied from a printed list.

Questions about Makar Sankranti

When is Makar Sankranti in 2027?

Makar Sankranti 2027 is on Friday, 15 Jan 2027, and in 2028 on Saturday, 15 Jan 2028. The dates are worked out for Nagpur in the North and Central Indian tradition; the table above gives the tithi and muhurat times.

Why is Makar Sankranti sometimes on 15 January?

The festival follows the moment the Sun enters Makara. When that moment comes after sunset, the punya kaal, and with it the festival, moves to the next day. That is why some years show 15 January.

What is the punya kaal?

The part of the day considered best for the bath, daan and prayers linked with the Sankranti. On this page it runs from the Sankranti moment to sunset, or from sunrise to sunset on the next day when the Sun enters Makara after sunset. Some panchangs give a shorter maha punya kaal as well.

Why does another calendar show a different date?

A tithi begins and ends at the same moment all over India, but the festival day depends on the part of the day the tradition looks at (sunrise, midday, evening or midnight) and on the sunrise of the city. A panchang for another city or tradition can therefore differ by a day. Follow the one your family uses.