🙏 Surya Dev (Sun God)

Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra Solar Month)

🗓️ Sun enters Meena Rashi (Start of Chaitra Solar Month)

The story behind Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra Solar Month)

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

Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra 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.

Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra 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 Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra Solar Month)?

YearDate
2025Friday, 14 March 2025
2026Saturday, 14 March 2026
2027Monday, 15 March 2027
2028Tuesday, 14 March 2028
2029Wednesday, 14 March 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 Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra Solar Month) fall on the same date everywhere?

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

CityDate
New DelhiSat, 14 March
New YorkSat, March 14
LondonSat 14 March
TorontoSat, March 14
SydneySat 14 March
DubaiSat, 14 March
SingaporeSat, 14 March

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 Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra Solar Month)

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

Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra Solar Month) FAQs

Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra Solar Month) falls on 14 March 2026, based on Kaala's Drik Panchang calculation for the corresponding Tithi.

Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra 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 Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra 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 Meena Sankranti / Saji (Start of Chaitra Solar Month) a day apart.