Sarva PanchangSarva Panchang
Sankranti

Dhanu Sankranti

Also called: Dhanurmasam Onset, Kharmas Start

Marks the transit of the Sun into Sagittarius (Dhanu), ruled by Jupiter (Brihaspati). Classified as a Shadashitimukha Sankranti. In North India, it marks the start of Kharmas / Malmas, during which major worldly ceremonies (like weddings) pause to allow focus on spiritual devotion. In South India, it inaugurates the celebrated month of Dhanurmasam (Margazhi), a period of intense early morning Vaishnava devotion.

Key facts

Paksha
Shadashitimukha Class
Lunar month
Sun enters Dhanu (Sagittarius) in Margashirsha / Pausha
Observed on
The day the Sun enters Dhanu Rashi (~December 15-16)
Deities
Lord Vishnu (Ranganatha), Surya Dev, Goddess Andal

The story

In South Indian tradition, the poet-saint Andal composed the sacred Tiruppavai during this month, singing thirty verses of love and surrender to Lord Krishna. In North Indian tradition, the Sun visiting Jupiter's house represents stepping back from worldly expansion to replenish spiritual reserves.

Practices

  • Early morning pre-dawn temple visits, especially to Vishnu and Krishna shrines
  • Reciting Andal's Tiruppavai in South India and Vishnu Sahasranama in North India
  • Offering sweet pongal or moong dal khichdi as early morning naivedya
  • Observing spiritual study and avoiding ostentatious worldly ceremonies

Regional variations

  • Celebrated as the Margazhi festival in Tamil Nadu, Dhanu Yatra open-air theater festival in Bargarh, Odisha, and Dhanurmasam in Andhra and Karnataka

Common questions

Why are weddings paused during Kharmas?
In North Indian tradition, when the Sun enters Jupiter's sign, solar vitality is subordinated to spiritual contemplation, making it unsuited for worldly celebrations until Makara Sankranti.

Types of Sankranti