🙏 Surya Dev (Sun God)

Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan Solar Month)

🗓️ Sun enters Karka Rashi (Start of Shravan Solar Month)

The story behind Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan Solar Month)

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

Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan 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.

Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan 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 Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan Solar Month)?

YearDate
2025Wednesday, 16 July 2025
2026Thursday, 16 July 2026
2027Saturday, 17 July 2027
2028Sunday, 16 July 2028
2029Monday, 16 July 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 Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan Solar Month) fall on the same date everywhere?

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

CityDate
New DelhiThu, 16 July
New YorkThu, July 16
LondonThu 16 July
TorontoThu, July 16
SydneyThu 16 July
DubaiThu, 16 July
SingaporeThu, 16 July

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 Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan Solar Month)

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

Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan Solar Month) FAQs

Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan Solar Month) falls on 16 July 2026, based on Kaala's Drik Panchang calculation for the corresponding Tithi.

Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan 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 Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan 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 Karka Sankranti / Saji (Start of Shravan Solar Month) a day apart.