Festival · Surya Dev

Thai Pongal

Name: Thai Pongal
Start: 2027-01-15
End: 2027-01-15
Location: New Delhi

Tamil harvest festival on the first day of the solar month Thai.

New Delhi, Delhi, India 28.6214°, 77.2148° Asia/Kolkata (UTC+05:30) North Indian · Lahiri (calibrated)

Panchang for 15/01/2027 (Fri) All dates

Beta Rules awaiting Jyotish review

This festival's date rule is applied exactly as documented, but it has not yet passed the platform's Jyotish review (an automated review against the classical texts and published Panchangs). Regional Panchangs may differ; confirm with your family priest or local temple.

Next date January 2027 15 Friday in 102 days

CategoryFestival
DeitySurya Dev
RegionRegional observance: Tamil Nadu
Defining tithi / momentExact moment: 21:14 (previous day)

Timings on Friday, 15 January 2027

Punya Kaal 07:15 to 17:45 10 h 31 min · 15/01/2027 (Fri)
Maha Punya Kaal 07:15 to 09:00 1 h 45 min · 15/01/2027 (Fri)

Rule applied: Smarta — Makara Sankranti at night: the Punya Kaal moves to the next day, from sunrise. (Setting: Sankranti Punya Kaal: classical ghati spans per Sankranti type (as in most North Indian Panchangs))

Why this date?

Makara Sankranti at night: the Punya Kaal moves to the next day, from sunrise.

Recipes, stories and temples

Prasad to make

Sakkarai pongal (sweet pongal)

Story for children

Thank you, Sun! Makar Sankranti and Pongal

Across India

How this festival is celebrated in different regions, with the regional names and each date's rule.

Read the regional guide

How the date is determined

It is the moment the Sun enters sidereal Makara (Capricorn).
The day and Punya Kaal follow the classical ghati spans for each kind of Sankranti (ghati = 1/30 of the daytime): Makara 40 after, Karka 30 before, Mesha and Tula 10 before and after, Vrishabha, Simha, Vrishchika and Kumbha 16 before, Mithuna, Kanya, Dhanu and Meena 16 after, kept within sunrise–sunset; Maha Punya Kaal is 5 ghatis. A Sankranti at night before midnight counts in the same day's afternoon, after midnight in the next morning (Makara always the next day).
Sidereal positions use the ayanamsa of your calculation profile; a different ayanamsa can shift the moment by several minutes.

Traditional variation

Tamil panchangs on the Vakya system compute the Sankranti differently and can differ by a day; the date here uses the drik (Thirukanitha) ingress with the ayanamsa of your calculation profile.

This is the date given by the rule shown above for the selected place. It is not the only valid date: regional Panchangs, family customs and sampradayas may observe it on a different day.

Rule source: Tamil solar calendar: Thai 1 = the day of the sidereal Makara ingress if it falls before sunset, otherwise the next day (Tamil month-start rule; drik / Thirukanitha ingress). This coincides with the Makar Sankranti day rule used here: a daytime Makara Sankranti stays on its day and one at night moves to the next day.

Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention. Times are shown for the selected place, time zone and calculation profile.

Calculated with engine 1.4.2 · rules rules-2026-09-29-a0a4505e · profile north-lahiri-calibrated v1 · ayanamsa lahiri_drik_compat · astronomy-engine@2.1.19 · Asia/Kolkata

Dates in 2026

Thai Pongal — 2026
Date	Defining tithi / moment	Time windows	Decision notes
14/01/2026 (Wed)	Exact moment: 15:13	Punya Kaal 15:13 to 17:45 (2 h 32 min) Maha Punya Kaal 15:13 to 16:58 (1 h 45 min)	Daytime Sankranti (Ayana: Makara 40 ghatis after, Karka 30 ghatis before), within sunrise–sunset.

Dates in 2027

Thai Pongal — 2027
Date	Defining tithi / moment	Time windows	Decision notes
15/01/2027 (Fri) Next	Exact moment: 21:14 (previous day)	Punya Kaal 07:15 to 17:45 (10 h 31 min) Maha Punya Kaal 07:15 to 09:00 (1 h 45 min)	Makara Sankranti at night: the Punya Kaal moves to the next day, from sunrise.