🙏 Surya Dev (Sun God)

Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada Solar Month)

🗓️ Sun enters Simha Rashi (Start of Bhadrapada Solar Month)

The story behind Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada Solar Month)

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

Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada 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.

Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada 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 Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada Solar Month)?

YearDate
2025Saturday, 16 August 2025
2026Monday, 17 August 2026
2027Tuesday, 17 August 2027
2028Wednesday, 16 August 2028
2029Thursday, 16 August 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 Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada Solar Month) fall on the same date everywhere?

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

CityDate
New DelhiMon, 17 August
New YorkSun, August 16
LondonSun 16 August
TorontoSun, August 16
SydneyMon 17 August
DubaiMon, 17 August
SingaporeMon, 17 August

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 Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada Solar Month)

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

Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada Solar Month) FAQs

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

Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada 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 Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada 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 Simha Sankranti / Saji (Start of Bhadrapada Solar Month) a day apart.