Today i.e. 15th January is Makar Sankranti. On the day of Makar Sankranti, Lord Sun, the king of the planets, comes out of Sagittarius and enters Capricorn. The transition of the Sun from one zodiac sign to another is called Sankranti. The time between one Sankranti and another is one solar month. There are a total of 12 Sankrantis throughout the year, but Makar Sankranti is considered the most important. After Uttarayan, when the Sun enters Capricorn, this occasion is celebrated as different festivals in different states of the country.
On the day of Makar Sankranti, Lord Sun, the king of the planets, comes out of Sagittarius and enters Capricorn.
Generally, all the dates in the Indian calendar are determined on the basis of the movement of the Moon, but Makar Sankranti is determined on the basis of the movement of the Sun. Makar Sankranti has great religious significance. On this day, it is considered auspicious to donate after taking bath in the holy river. Also, on the day of Makar Sankranti, Kharmas ends and the auspicious works prohibited for a month start again. Makar Sankranti has great importance not only in religion but also in science.
Scientific importance of Makar Sankranti
Sun God, the king of planets, influences all the 12 zodiac signs, but his entry in Cancer and Capricorn is very significant. Sun God enters these two zodiac signs at an interval of six months. From a scientific perspective, because the Earth’s axis is tilted at 23.5 degrees, the Sun remains near the Earth’s northern hemisphere for six months and near the southern hemisphere the remaining six months.
Before Makar Sankranti the Sun is closer to the Southern Hemisphere
Before Makar Sankranti, the Sun is close to the Southern Hemisphere, that is, relatively far from the Northern Hemisphere, due to which the nights are long and days short in the Northern Hemisphere and this is the winter season. At the same time, from Makar Sankranti, the Sun starts moving towards the Northern Hemisphere, hence from this day the nights start becoming shorter and the days longer and colder in the Northern Hemisphere.
Religious importance of Makar Sankranti
On the day of Makar Sankranti, it is especially auspicious to bathe in the Ganga, worship the Sun and donate to pilgrimages. Donations given on this occasion are returned a hundredfold. Sesame seeds have great importance on the day of Makar Sankranti. It is said that taking bath with water mixed with sesame seeds and massaging the body with sesame oil gives virtue and destroys sins.
