🙏 Surya Dev (Sun God)

Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin Solar Month)

🗓️ Sun enters Kanya Rashi (Start of Ashwin Solar Month)

The story behind Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin Solar Month)

Kanya Sankranti marks the auspicious solar transit of Surya Dev into the Kanya Rashi, officially starting the Ashwin 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 Bhadrapada month and is a sacred day for holy baths (Snana), offering water to the Sun (Surya Arghya), and seasonal charity (Dana).

Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin 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.

Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin 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 Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin Solar Month)?

YearDate
2025Tuesday, 16 September 2025
2026Thursday, 17 September 2026
2027Friday, 17 September 2027
2028Saturday, 16 September 2028
2029Sunday, 16 September 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 Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin Solar Month) fall on the same date everywhere?

Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin 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 Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin Solar Month) can land on different dates in different countries even though the underlying moment is the same for everyone.

CityDate
New DelhiThu, 17 September
New YorkWed, September 16
LondonWed 16 September
TorontoWed, September 16
SydneyThu 17 September
DubaiThu, 17 September
SingaporeThu, 17 September

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 Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin Solar Month)

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

Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin Solar Month) FAQs

Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin Solar Month) falls on 17 September 2026, based on Kaala's Drik Panchang calculation for the corresponding Tithi.

Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin 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 Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin 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 Kanya Sankranti / Saji (Start of Ashwin Solar Month) a day apart.