Short answer: Makar Sankranti 2027 falls on Friday 15 January. The Sun moves into sidereal Capricorn at about 9:14 pm IST on Thursday 14 January, after sunset, so the holy window shifts to Friday. In Delhi the punya kaal runs from 7:15 am to 5:46 pm, and the maha punya kaal, the best part of it, from 7:15 am to 9:00 am.
Updated 8 November 2026
When is Makar Sankranti 2027, 14 or 15 January?
The festival is on Friday 15 January 2027. Some printed calendars and websites put 14 January, and they are not exactly wrong: that is the evening the Sun actually crosses into Makara. The catch is the hour. The crossing happens at about 9:14 pm IST, well after sunset, and the panchang rule is that a Sankranti which lands at night gives its punya kaal to the following day. So the bath, the daan and the puja all belong to Friday morning.
You will see the same split every few years. When the Sun crosses in the afternoon, the festival stays on 14 January; when it crosses at night, it moves to the 15th. Over the decades the crossing is drifting later, which is why the 15th is turning up more often than it did in our parents’ time.
Makar Sankranti 2027 punya kaal timings by city
Punya kaal starts at your local sunrise and runs to sunset, so it changes from city to city. The maha punya kaal is the first stretch of the morning, roughly an hour and three quarters, and it is the part most families aim for. All times below are IST for Friday 15 January 2027.
| City | Punya kaal | Maha punya kaal |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | 7:15 am to 5:46 pm | 7:15 am to 9:00 am |
| Mumbai | 7:15 am to 6:21 pm | 7:15 am to 9:06 am |
| Bengaluru | 6:46 am to 6:12 pm | 6:46 am to 8:40 am |
| Chennai | 6:35 am to 6:02 pm | 6:35 am to 8:30 am |
| Hyderabad | 6:49 am to 6:01 pm | 6:49 am to 8:41 am |
| Kolkata | 6:19 am to 5:13 pm | 6:19 am to 8:08 am |
| Ahmedabad | 7:23 am to 6:15 pm | 7:23 am to 9:12 am |
| Guwahati | 6:12 am to 4:53 pm | 6:12 am to 7:59 am |
If your town is not listed, take your own sunrise as the start. A few minutes either way makes no real difference to a bath and a donation, so please do not lose sleep over the exact minute.
Why does Makar Sankranti follow the Sun and not the Moon?
Almost every Hindu festival is fixed by a tithi, which is a Moon measure. That is why Holi or Diwali can move by two or three weeks from one year to the next. Sankranti is different. It marks the Sun entering a new sign, and the Sun keeps a steady pace, so the date barely moves on the English calendar.
There is one honest correction worth making. Many people call this day the start of Uttarayan, the Sun’s northward walk. Astronomically the Sun turns north at the winter solstice, around 21 December. Our panchangs count signs against the fixed stars, the sidereal zodiac, and that frame has slipped by about 24 degrees since the tradition was set. The festival keeps the old meaning, and I am happy to keep it too, but if a student asks why the dates do not match a science textbook, this is the reason.
Pongal, Lohri, Uttarayan, Bihu: one festival, many names
The same turn of the Sun is marked across India under different names, and the dates do not always sit on one day. Here is how 2027 lines up.
| Region | Name | Date in 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab, Haryana, Delhi | Lohri (bonfire on the eve), Maghi | Lohri 13 or 14 January by local custom; Maghi 15 January |
| Tamil Nadu | Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal, Kaanum Pongal | 14, 15, 16 and 17 January |
| Andhra Pradesh, Telangana | Bhogi, Sankranti, Kanuma | 14, 15 and 16 January |
| Karnataka | Sankranti, with ellu-bella shared among neighbours | 15 January |
| Gujarat | Uttarayan, the kite festival | Kites on 14 and 15 January; the punya kaal day is 15 January |
| Assam | Magh Bihu (Uruka feast the night before) | 15 January, Uruka on 14 January |
| Uttar Pradesh, Bihar | Khichdi | 15 January |
| Maharashtra | Sankrant, with til-gul | 15 January |
In Bengaluru, where I live, the day is about ellu-bella, the mix of sesame, jaggery, dry coconut and groundnut that children carry from house to house. In Bengal the same day is Poush Sankranti, with pithe made the night before. Everyone is marking the same thing in a different kitchen.
What should you do on Makar Sankranti 2027?
Nothing here needs a priest or any spending beyond what you choose to give. The core of the day has stayed the same for centuries.
- An early bath. A river if you are near one and it is safe; otherwise a bath at home with a few sesame seeds in the water.
- Water to the Sun. Stand facing east after the bath and offer water from a copper lota, with a short prayer or the Gayatri mantra if you know it.
- Til and gud. Sesame and jaggery are eaten and shared. In winter they are also simply good food.
- Daan. Blankets, grain, sesame, khichdi or warm clothes to someone who needs them. Give within the punya kaal if you can, ideally in the morning window.
- Kites, carefully. Please skip glass-coated or nylon manja. It injures birds and riders on two-wheelers every year.
If anyone in the family is diabetic, go light on the til-gud sweets, and if the cold bath worries you because of a health condition, use warm water or skip it and check with your doctor. The meaning of the day does not sit in the temperature of the water.
Makar Sankranti ends kharmas: weddings and griha pravesh reopen
For many families the practical news of the day is not the festival at all. Dhanu kharmas, the month when the Sun moves through Sagittarius, starts in mid-December 2026, and weddings, house-warmings and new registrations pause during it. My page on kharmas 2026 and when it ends has the edges and the reasoning.
With the Sun in Capricorn from the night of 14 January, the season opens again. The first wedding dates of the year follow within days; I list them on my marriage muhurat 2027 page. If you are moving into a new home, the griha pravesh muhurat 2027 page covers which January and February days I would short-list.
What does the Sun in Capricorn mean for your chart in 2027?
Capricorn is Saturn’s sign, and the Sun and Saturn are not easy friends in Jyotish. The month that follows Sankranti tends to reward slow, disciplined work over quick wins. It is a good time to clean up paperwork, settle dues and set a routine for the year.
This year has an extra detail. Rahu moved into Capricorn on 5 December 2026, so from 15 January the Sun will travel with Rahu for about a month, until it moves into Aquarius in mid-February. For most people this means nothing dramatic. For those whose chart already leans on the Sun, such as Leo ascendants or anyone running a Sun dasha, I would keep big confrontations with seniors or the government for after mid-February. My Rahu Ketu transit page explains the node shift itself.
A small home practice for Sankranti morning
The east is the Sun’s side of the house. The evening before, clear the east-facing windows, wipe the glass and move anything that blocks the morning light. On Sankranti morning open them early and let the light in while you do your prayer. It is a simple habit, and it tends to set the tone for how a family treats that corner for the rest of the year.
Keep the sesame, jaggery and the daan items together in a clean basket the night before, ideally in the north-east or wherever your puja shelf sits, so the morning is calm. Once Sankranti is done, the next big day on the calendar is Vasant Panchami 2027 on 11 February.
Want your January plans read against your chart?
A festival is the same for everyone. Your dasha and your transits are not. If you are planning an engagement, a move or a job change for the weeks after Sankranti, I can check which of those days work for you and which to leave alone. A session is ₹1,499 for a 45-minute session, by video or phone, in English, Hindi or Bengali, and you get written remedies afterwards. You can book a reading here, or start with a full kundli analysis if you want the bigger picture.
For the rest of the year’s dates, month by month, see my Hindu festivals 2027 calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Makar Sankranti 2027 on 14 January or 15 January?
On Friday 15 January. The Sun enters Capricorn at about 9:14 pm IST on 14 January, after sunset, so the punya kaal and the festival move to the next morning.
What is the maha punya kaal on Makar Sankranti 2027 in Bengaluru?
About 6:46 am to 8:40 am IST on 15 January. The full punya kaal in Bengaluru runs from sunrise at about 6:46 am to sunset at about 6:12 pm.
When is Pongal 2027?
Thai Pongal is on Friday 15 January 2027, the same day as Makar Sankranti. Bhogi is on 14 January, Mattu Pongal on 16 January and Kaanum Pongal on 17 January.
Can we hold a griha pravesh on Makar Sankranti 2027?
Many families like to, since kharmas ends with it. The day itself is fine, but the hour still has to suit the house and your chart, so I would check the lagna before you call the guests.
Why is Lohri 2027 shown on two different dates?
Lohri is the bonfire night before Maghi. With Maghi on 15 January, some calendars put Lohri on 14 January, while many Punjabi families keep it on 13 January as they always have. Follow your family and gurdwara.
