top of page

Makar Sankranti is not Uttarayan!


The Truth of Makar Sankranti


Myth1

In India Makar Sankranti is called Uttarayan because it is believed that on this day Sun reaches its Southward zenith and begins its Northward Journey.


Incorrect: Sun turns Northward well night before Makar Sankranti. The date of the beginning its northward movement is December 22 and the phenomenon is called Northern Solstice. That is the day when it reaches its southernmost point in relation to Earth and turns North-ward, and days begin to lengthen.


Therefore, Uttarayan begins on Dec 22 and not on Jan 14.


Yet Jan 14 is important. From this day Sun begins to rise 1 minute earlier. Till Jan 14, it was rising 1 minute late every day.


Myth 2


Summers – the hot months of May and June – are when Earth is closer to Sun, and winters – December and January – are when it is far from sun.


Incorrect: When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is wintertime in the southern hemisphere.


The truth is that Earth is closest to Sun on January 4, when the cold in India is at its peak; and it is farthest from Sun on July 4, when India experiences heat and rains.


Strange! But why does it happen? It happens because Earth’s Axis has a tilt which, during the months of Nov to Jan, makes the Northern Hemisphere to tilt away from the Sun; In fact, during this period it is summer in the southern hemisphere because it receives better sunlight. So much so that the South Pole has no night for almost 6 months.

 

©Arun Vyas. This article may not be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author. Arun Vyas may be contacted at arun@arunvyas.com / arunvyas.com/contact


81 views2 comments

2 Comments


Om Prakash Dani
Om Prakash Dani
Jan 13, 2022

Very nice to know the facts against the beliefs

Like

Ravi Naik
Ravi Naik
Apr 13, 2021

👍

Like
Aun-Vyas-logo_edited.png Vastu Sindhu by arun vyas Logo

”Indian sacred architecture of whatever date, style, or dedication goes back to something timelessly ancient and now outside India almost wholly lost, something which belongs to the past, and yet it goes forward too, though this the rationalistic mind will not easily admit, to something which will return upon us and is already beginning to return, something which belongs to the future.”

                                                         -Sri Aurobindo, The Renaissance in India  

Vastu Consultant & Teacher

bottom of page