🙏 Surya Dev (Sun God)

Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month)

🗓️ Sun enters Dhanu Rashi (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month)

The story behind Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month)

Dhanu Sankranti marks the auspicious solar transit of Surya Dev into the Dhanu Rashi, officially starting the Pausa (Paush) Hindu solar month. In regional Vedic and Pahari traditions, the first day of the new solar month is celebrated as 'Saji'. This transition concludes the Margashirsha month and is a sacred day for holy baths (Snana), offering water to the Sun (Surya Arghya), and seasonal charity (Dana).

Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month) Puja Vidhi

  1. 1

    Pratah Snana

    Take a sacred purifying bath before sunrise, meditating on holy rivers.

  2. 2

    Surya Arghya

    Offer water from a copper vessel to Surya Dev while facing east and chanting the Gayatri or Surya Mantra.

  3. 3

    Dana (Charity)

    Donate seasonal grains, fruits, clothes, or food to seekers and the needy.

Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month) Mantra

ॐ घृणि सूर्याय नमः॥

Meaning

Salutations to the luminous Sun God, the source of light and life.

How to chant

Chant 11 or 108 times during morning prayers while facing the rising Sun.

When is Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month)?

YearDate
2025Monday, 15 December 2025
2026Wednesday, 16 December 2026
2027Thursday, 16 December 2027
2028Friday, 15 December 2028
2029Saturday, 15 December 2029

Dates are computed with the Drik (observational) method from real solar and lunar positions, using sunrise-to-sunrise Tithi assignment for New Delhi.

Does Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month) fall on the same date everywhere?

Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month) begins at the exact moment the Sun crosses into a new zodiac sign — the same instant everywhere on Earth. Which calendar day it's observed on in a given city depends on local convention relative to that instant (in most places, whether it falls before or after that city's own sunrise), so Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month) can land on different dates in different countries even though the underlying moment is the same for everyone.

CityDate
New DelhiWed, 16 December
New YorkTue, December 15
LondonTue 15 December
TorontoTue, December 15
SydneyWed 16 December
DubaiWed, 16 December
SingaporeWed, 16 December

These dates follow the panchang convention computed for each city's own coordinates — they are not a universal verdict. Some temples and communities shift observance to a weekend regardless of the computed date, and published panchang authorities recommend using your own city's panchang rather than a single worldwide date. Confirm with your local temple or community before treating a date as final.

Festivals around Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month)

All Hindu festivals →See the full Vedic calendar →Today's Panchang & muhurtas →

Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month) FAQs

Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month) falls on 16 December 2026, based on Kaala's Drik Panchang calculation for the corresponding Tithi.

Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month) is dated according to the lunar Tithi, not the fixed Gregorian calendar, so its Gregorian date shifts from year to year while its position in the lunar calendar stays consistent.

The astronomical event Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month) marks happens at the same instant everywhere in the world, but which calendar day that instant falls on locally depends on each city's own timing — so cities in different countries can observe Dhanu Sankranti / Saji (Start of Pausa (Paush) Solar Month) a day apart.