🙏 Surya Dev (Sun God)

Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) Solar Month)

🗓️ Sun enters Mesha Rashi (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) Solar Month)

The story behind Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) Solar Month)

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

Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) 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.

Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) 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 Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) Solar Month)?

YearDate
2025Sunday, 13 April 2025
2026Tuesday, 14 April 2026
2027Wednesday, 14 April 2027
2028Thursday, 13 April 2028
2029Friday, 13 April 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 Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) Solar Month) fall on the same date everywhere?

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

CityDate
New DelhiTue, 14 April
New YorkMon, April 13
LondonMon 13 April
TorontoMon, April 13
SydneyTue 14 April
DubaiTue, 14 April
SingaporeTue, 14 April

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 Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) Solar Month)

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

Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) Solar Month) FAQs

Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) Solar Month) falls on 14 April 2026, based on Kaala's Drik Panchang calculation for the corresponding Tithi.

Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) 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 Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) 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 Mesha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Baisakh (Vaisakha) Solar Month) a day apart.