Makar Sankranti 2026 Date — Wednesday, January 14, 2026
When is Makar Sankranti in 2026? Makar Sankranti 2026 falls on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
Observance: Makar Sankranti (Pongal). City calendars may vary slightly by sunrise and amanta or purnimanta tradition — confirm with your local mandir.
Other years: Makar Sankranti 2025 date · Makar Sankranti 2027 date
Makar Sankranti 2026 muhurat & timings — Delhi
| Sunrise | 07:15 am |
|---|---|
| Sunset | 05:45 pm |
| Moonrise | 03:29 am |
| Brahma Muhurat | 05:27 am – 06:21 am |
| Rahu Kaal (avoid) | 12:30 pm – 01:49 pm |
| Tithi at sunrise | Krishna Ekadashi |
| Nakshatra | Anuradha |
These are the day’s general muhurats and Rahu Kaal for Delhi, computed from the AllMandir panchang. Festival puja timings vary by tradition and city — open the full panchang for Wed, 14 January 2026 or ask your local mandir.
Makar Sankranti 2026 — full list of dates
| Observance | Date & day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bhogi | Tue, 13 January 2026 | |
| Makar Sankranti / Thai Pongal | Wed, 14 January 2026 | Main day |
| Mattu Pongal | Thu, 15 January 2026 | |
| Kaanum Pongal | Fri, 16 January 2026 |
Why we celebrate
The Sun enters sidereal Makara (Capricorn) and begins Uttarayana, its northward journey. It is the one major Hindu festival fixed to the solar calendar rather than the moon, so it lands on 14 or 15 January every year. In Tamil Nadu the same day is Thai Pongal, the harvest thanksgiving that opens the auspicious month of Thai.
Regional notes
Tamil Nadu: Thai Pongal. Andhra and Telangana: three-day Sankranti with Bhogi and Kanuma. Karnataka: Suggi Habba with ellu-bella exchange. Maharashtra: til-gul with the greeting 'til-gul ghya, god god bola'. Gujarat and Rajasthan: Uttarayan kites. Punjab: Maghi, the morning after Lohri. Assam: Magh Bihu with meji bonfires.
How it is celebrated
Four days in the Tamil country: Bhogi (bonfire of the old), Thai Pongal (the pongal pot boiling over), Mattu Pongal (honouring cattle) and Kaanum Pongal (family outings). Elsewhere it is Uttarayan kite flying in Gujarat, Lohri and Maghi in Punjab, Magh Bihu in Assam, Khichdi in Uttar Pradesh, and holy dips at Ganga Sagar, Prayagraj and Haridwar.
Puja timing
Punya Kaal is the roughly forty ghatis (about sixteen hours) after the Sun's ingress into Makara; if the transit happens after sunset the whole observance shifts to the next sunrise, which is why some years fall on 15 January.
Foods & offerings
Sakkarai pongal and ven pongal, sugarcane, til-gul laddu and gajak, khichdi, pitha in Assam.
Rituals
- Boil the pongal pot at sunrise and let it overflow while calling 'Pongalo Pongal'.
- Bathe in a river or take a sankalpa snan at home before sunrise.
- Draw a kolam or rangoli at the doorway.
- Give til-gul, grain or cloth as daan.
Makar Sankranti dates by year
| Year | Date & day |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Makar Sankranti 2025 date |
| 2026 | Wed, 14 January 2026 |
| 2027 | Makar Sankranti 2027 date |
| 2028 | Makar Sankranti 2028 date |
Hindu festivals around Makar Sankranti 2026
- Pongal 2026 date — Wed, 14 January 2026
- Vasant Panchami 2026 date — Fri, 23 January 2026
- Thaipusam 2026 date — Sun, 1 February 2026
- Maha Shivaratri 2026 date — Sun, 15 February 2026
- Holika Dahan 2026 date — Tue, 3 March 2026
- Holi 2026 date — Wed, 4 March 2026
- Ugadi 2026 date — Thu, 19 March 2026
- Gudi Padwa 2026 date — Thu, 19 March 2026
- Chaitra Navratri 2026 date — Thu, 19 March 2026
- Ram Navami 2026 date — Fri, 27 March 2026
- Hanuman Jayanti 2026 date — Thu, 2 April 2026
- Vishu 2026 date — Tue, 14 April 2026
Makar Sankranti 2026 puja & muhurat timings in major cities
| City | Rahu Kaal (avoid) | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 12:30 pm – 01:49 pm | 07:15 am | 05:45 pm |
| Mumbai | 12:47 pm – 02:10 pm | 07:14 am | 06:20 pm |
| Bengaluru | 12:28 pm – 01:54 pm | 06:45 am | 06:11 pm |
| Chennai | 12:17 pm – 01:43 pm | 06:34 am | 06:00 pm |
| Hyderabad | 12:25 pm – 01:49 pm | 06:49 am | 06:00 pm |
| Kolkata | 11:45 am – 01:07 pm | 06:18 am | 05:12 pm |
Times come from each city’s own sunrise, sunset and panchang for Wed, 14 January 2026.
