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| About Makar Sankranti
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Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious day for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all
parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervor & gaiety. Lakhs of people take a dip in places like Ganga
Sagar & Prayag and pray to Lord Sun. It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated
as Lohri & Maghi. Gujarati's not only look reverentially up to the sun, but also offer thousands of their colorful oblations in the form
of beautiful kites all over the skyline. They may be trying to reach upto their glorious God or bring about greater proximity with the one
who represents the best.
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Makara Sankranti marks the commencement of the sun's journey to the Northern Hemisphere (Makara raasi), signifying the onset of Uttarayana
Punyakalam, and is a day of celebration all over the country. The day begins with people taking holy dips in the waters and worshipping the Sun.
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Traditionally, this period is considered an auspicious time and the veteran Bhishma of Mahabharata chose to die during
this period. Bhishma fell to the arrows of Arjuna. With his boon to choose the time of his death, he waited on a bed of arrows to depart from this
world only during this period. It is believed that those who die in this period have no rebirth.
The Indo Gangetic plain begins this day with taking dips in the Ganga and offering water to the Sun god. The dip is said to purify the self and bestow
punya. Special puja is offered as a thanksgiving for good harvest. According to folklore, girls who take the holy dip get handsome husbands and boys get
beautiful brides.
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Til and Rice are two important ingredients of this festival. In the rice-eating belt
of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, people have a special rice-centric meal on this day. Also known as
Gangasagar Mela, on this day, people come from all over India for a ceremonial cleansing in the river
Hooghly, near Calcutta.
The co-relation of cosmic events with individual life and values is one of the most astounding traits
of Hindu Masters. Once this co-relation is brought about thereafter these cosmic events become instrumental
to remind us the best which we cherish & value. Of all the cosmic bodies Sun is the most glorious & important,
thus every sun-centric cosmic event became very important spiritual, religious & cultural events. On Makar
Sankranti day the Sun begins its ascendancy and journey into the Northern Hemisphere, and thus it signifies
an event wherein the Gods seem to remind their children that 'Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya'. May you go higher &
higher - to more & more Light and never to darkness.
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