Makar Sankranti, the first major festival of the year 2023, will be celebrated on January 15 this time. However, kites will be flown and fought on January 14 itself, considering it as the day of Makar Sankranti. Donation-Pushya, bathing in pilgrimage rivers and visiting holy temples will be done on January 15. This festival is celebrated with great pomp in different states of India. It is said that from this day Sun God enters Capricorn, the zodiac sign of Shani Dev. This is the reason why Surya Devan is mainly worshiped on this festival.
Although very few people know that why the festival of Makar Sankranti is celebrated. Let us know about this topic in detail in this article.
History of Makar Sankranti
Different types of stories are prevalent behind celebrating Makar Sankranti on mythological basis. King Bhagirath, King Sagar and Mother Ganga are said to be connected behind these stories. The holy river Ganges is worshiped like a goddess. Ganga has great importance in Hindu religion.
According to Puranas, once Kapil Muni was falsely accused of stealing the horse of Devraj Indra. Enraged in such a way, Kapil Muni cursed 60 thousand sons of King Sagar, after which they were burnt to ashes. On apologizing, Kapil Muni only suggested a solution to him that he could bring Mother Ganga to earth by any means.
After this, King Sagar’s grandson Anshuman and King Bhagirath performed severe penance due to which mother Ganga appeared pleased. It is believed that Makar Sankranti is celebrated on the day when 60 thousand sons of King Sagar attained salvation.
Vedic faith
There are also Vedic beliefs associated with Makar Sankranti. In Vedic times, Uttarayan was called Devayana (Day of the Gods) and Dakshinayan was called Pitriyan (Night of the Gods). Before the month of Magh, which is Paush, the deities are sleeping and hence no auspicious work should be done. However, in the month of Magha the deities fully awake and hence Makar Sankranti also marks the beginning of an auspicious phase. A lot of charitable work is done during this period as well as auspicious events like marriage, starting a new business can also be organized during this period.
It is generally believed that the Lord himself comes down to accept the charity given to the Brahmins. Pure souls enter heaven during the Uttarayan movement of the Sun. That’s why Makar Sankranti is also called Alok Parv.
according to mythology
In the Puranas, there is mention of Surya Dev visiting the home of his son Shani, who is the ruler of Capricorn. The father-son pairing doesn’t really get along very well, but Surya Dev still makes it a point to visit his beloved Shani at least once a year and stay with him for a month. Hence, there is a special emphasis on the father-son relationship during this period and the son is expected to shoulder the responsibility of carrying forward the family name and legacy and his father’s dreams.
lord shiva story
There is a legend associated with the worship of animals during Makar Sankranti. One day, Lord Shiva asked his bull Nandi to go to earth and deliver the message to the disciples. The message was to bathe in oil everyday and eat once a month. However, poor Nandi got confused by the message and told the devotees that Lord Shiva told him to take an oil bath once a month and eat food everyday. When Shiva came to know of this, he was furious and ordered Nandi to stay back on earth and help the poor farmers plow the fields, as now they needed to produce more grains to be able to eat every day. will be needed.
The Lord Krishna Legend
Makara Sankranti or Bhogi, as it is called in Andhra Pradesh, also has a story of Lord Krishna’s antics. Apparently, on the day of Bhogi, Lord Krishna asked his cow herd friends to worship Mount Govardhan instead of Lord Indra. Lord Indra felt deeply insulted and in anger caused heavy clouds to cause thunder, lightning, rain and flood. To protect the farmers and their cattle, Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan mountain on his last finger and stopped the devastation. Realizing his mistake, Indra apologized to Lord Krishna and in return Lord Krishna worshiped Indra on Bhogi Day.
makar sankranti bath
Taking a bath in the Ganges on the day of Makar Sankranti is considered very auspicious. There is also a legend behind this. It is said that bathing in rivers on the day of Makar Sankranti is auspicious. Bathing in the river is also considered very good to destroy sins.
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