Vishuva Sankranti
Encyclopedia
Pana Sankranti or Maha Vishuva Sankranti ' onMouseout='HidePop("53483")' href="/topics/Sanskrit">Sanskrit
:महा विषुव संक्रमण), also known as Mesha
Sankranti and Pana Sankranti, is celebrated as the Oriya
New Year. The day marks the beginning of the New Year in the traditional Hindu Solar Calendar. On this day the sun
enters the sidereal
Aries
or Mesha rashi. It generally falls on 13/14 April. The spring season is at zenith during this period and the summer is approaching. It is otherwise calculated as per Sidereal astrology
.
Maha Vishuva Sankranti is similar to the New Year festivals observed elsewhere in India such as Baisakhi (Punjab), Bihu
(Assam
), Naba Barsha (Bengal), Bisu Parba (Tulu Nadu
region in Karnataka
), Vishu
(Kerala
), Puthandu
(Tamil Nadu
) and Ugadi
in(Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka) .
Sankramana and Tula
Sankramana, the Sun fully rests on the equator. On these two dates, the length of days and nights remain equal. But in case of a sidereal
zodiac, as used in Indian solar calendars, it has no connection with the equinoxes. Hence, the length of the Indian solar calendars is longer than the actual tropical solar year. The oriya solar month Mesha
starts from this day.
calculate month from the next day of Purnima to Purnima, as per North India
n Purnimanta system, the year cycle of moon is less than 365 days of earth's rotation and some year also contain Adhika Maasa so the new year is calculated from the day of Mesha
sankramana to fix a particular day.It is quite interesting that the oriya New Year is calculated from the day of Sankramana whereas the neibouring state Bengal
celebrate Pohela Boishakh on the next day of Sankramana.
along with Curd
, Banana
, is consumed by the people of Orissa
after offering it to the Tulsi plant. Special offerings are made to Shalagram, Shivalinga, Hanuman
and other deities. The devi temples of Chandi
, Biraja
, and Sarala
become crowded, which is called Jhaamu Yatra. In Northern Orissa it is called Chadak Parva. In Southern Orissa
the day is celebrated as the end of month-long Danda nata
, and the final ceremony is known as Meru Yatra. People all over the state worship Hanuman
on this day and celebrate it as his birthday. People enjoy chhatua
and Bel Pana
with great pleasure.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
:महा विषुव संक्रमण), also known as Mesha
Aries
The Arieș is a tributary of Mureș River in Transylvania, Romania.Most probably "Arieș" means "Gold River" in Dalmatian which is thought to be very similar to the Dacian language. It is concluded that the Romanian name most probably derives from the Dacian name of the river...
Sankranti and Pana Sankranti, is celebrated as the Oriya
Oriya people
The Oriya, known classically by various names , are an ethnic group of eastern India and of eastern Indo-Aryan stock...
New Year. The day marks the beginning of the New Year in the traditional Hindu Solar Calendar. On this day the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
enters the sidereal
Sidereal year
A sidereal year is the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun once with respect to the fixed stars. Hence it is also the time taken for the Sun to return to the same position with respect to the fixed stars after apparently travelling once around the ecliptic. It was equal to at noon 1 January...
Aries
Aries
The Arieș is a tributary of Mureș River in Transylvania, Romania.Most probably "Arieș" means "Gold River" in Dalmatian which is thought to be very similar to the Dacian language. It is concluded that the Romanian name most probably derives from the Dacian name of the river...
or Mesha rashi. It generally falls on 13/14 April. The spring season is at zenith during this period and the summer is approaching. It is otherwise calculated as per Sidereal astrology
Sidereal astrology
Sidereal and tropical are astronomical terms used to describe two different definitions of a "year". They are also used as terms for two systems of ecliptic coordinates used in astrology....
.
Maha Vishuva Sankranti is similar to the New Year festivals observed elsewhere in India such as Baisakhi (Punjab), Bihu
Bihu
Bihu denotes a set of three different cultural festivals of Assam and celebrated by the Assamese diaspora around the world. Though they owe their origins to ancient rites and practices they have taken definite urban features and have become popular festivals in urban and commercialized milieus in...
(Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
), Naba Barsha (Bengal), Bisu Parba (Tulu Nadu
Tulu Nadu
Tulu Nadu is a Tulu-speaking region spread over to parts of present Karnataka and Kerala States of India. It consists of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and the northern parts of the Kasaragod district of Kerala up to the Payaswini River...
region in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
), Vishu
Vishu
Vishu is a Hindu festival celebrated in the Indian state of Kerala, usually on April 14 of the Gregorian calendar. This occasion signifies the Sun's transit into the Mesha Raasi , according to Indian astrological calculations, and represents the vernal equinox...
(Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
), Puthandu
Puthandu
Puthandu , or better known as Tamil New Year, is the celebration of the first day of the Tamil new year in mid-April by Tamils in Tamil Nadu, in Pondicherry in India, in Sri Lanka and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore, Reunion Island and Mauritius. People in the world greet each other...
(Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
) and Ugadi
Ugadi
Yugadi or Ugadi or "Samvatsradi" , Konkani/Marathi: युगादी yugādi, , formed by sandhi of yuga "age" and ādi "beginning": the beginning of an age) is the New Year's Day for the people of the Deccan region of India. It falls on the different day every year because the Hindu calendar is a lunisolar...
in(Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka) .
Astrological evidence
There are specific reasons as to why the Vishuva Sankranti is considered as the first day of the solar year. On only two occasions around year, MeshaAries
The Arieș is a tributary of Mureș River in Transylvania, Romania.Most probably "Arieș" means "Gold River" in Dalmatian which is thought to be very similar to the Dacian language. It is concluded that the Romanian name most probably derives from the Dacian name of the river...
Sankramana and Tula
Libra
-Science and technology:* Libra , a star constellation in the sky* Libra , an ancient Roman unit of weight* Libra , a public search engine for academic papers and literature* Libra , a media cataloguing software...
Sankramana, the Sun fully rests on the equator. On these two dates, the length of days and nights remain equal. But in case of a sidereal
Sidereal year
A sidereal year is the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun once with respect to the fixed stars. Hence it is also the time taken for the Sun to return to the same position with respect to the fixed stars after apparently travelling once around the ecliptic. It was equal to at noon 1 January...
zodiac, as used in Indian solar calendars, it has no connection with the equinoxes. Hence, the length of the Indian solar calendars is longer than the actual tropical solar year. The oriya solar month Mesha
Aries
The Arieș is a tributary of Mureș River in Transylvania, Romania.Most probably "Arieș" means "Gold River" in Dalmatian which is thought to be very similar to the Dacian language. It is concluded that the Romanian name most probably derives from the Dacian name of the river...
starts from this day.
Difference from Lunar Calender
Although people of OrissaOrissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
calculate month from the next day of Purnima to Purnima, as per North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
n Purnimanta system, the year cycle of moon is less than 365 days of earth's rotation and some year also contain Adhika Maasa so the new year is calculated from the day of Mesha
Aries
The Arieș is a tributary of Mureș River in Transylvania, Romania.Most probably "Arieș" means "Gold River" in Dalmatian which is thought to be very similar to the Dacian language. It is concluded that the Romanian name most probably derives from the Dacian name of the river...
sankramana to fix a particular day.It is quite interesting that the oriya New Year is calculated from the day of Sankramana whereas the neibouring state Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
celebrate Pohela Boishakh on the next day of Sankramana.
Observances
On this particular day, a small pot filled with pana or sweet drink of Mishri and water is hung on a basil (Tulsi) plant. There is a hole at the bottom of this pot which allows the water to fall from the pot, representing rain. The flour of horse gram chhatuaSattu
Sattu or Chhatua are ground powders of pulses and cereals like horse gram , green gram, jowar, wheat, oat, barley, etc. These are consumed along with fruit slices, sugar or milk. Green chilli, lemon juice and salt are sometimes added as flavouring...
along with Curd
Curd
Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then draining off the liquid portion. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins to tangle into solid masses, or curds. The remaining liquid, which contains only...
, Banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
, is consumed by the people of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
after offering it to the Tulsi plant. Special offerings are made to Shalagram, Shivalinga, Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
and other deities. The devi temples of Chandi
Chandi
Chandi or Chandika is the supreme Goddess of Devi Mahatmya also known as Chandi or Durga Sapthashati. Chandi is described as the Supreme reality who is a combination of Mahakali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati...
, Biraja
Biraja Temple
Viraja Temple or Viraja Kshetra , or Oddyana Peetha, , is one of the ancient Hindu temples located in the Jajpur district of Orissa, India. This present temple was built in 13th century. It is situated in the Jajpur township which is nearly 125 KM north from Bhubaneswar...
, and Sarala
Sarala Temple
Sarala Temple is a Hindu temple in the district of Jagatsinghpur, Orissa, India. The temple is accessible by road from Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack and Paradeep. The nearest airport is Bhubaneshwar, which is approximately 80 km, and is well connected by road. The nearest railway station is Cuttack,...
become crowded, which is called Jhaamu Yatra. In Northern Orissa it is called Chadak Parva. In Southern Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
the day is celebrated as the end of month-long Danda nata
Danda nata
Danda Nata or Danda Jatra is one of the important dance festivals organized in different parts of South Orissa, particularly in the Ganjam District. The danda nata festival is being held in the month of Chaitra of every year....
, and the final ceremony is known as Meru Yatra. People all over the state worship Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
on this day and celebrate it as his birthday. People enjoy chhatua
Sattu
Sattu or Chhatua are ground powders of pulses and cereals like horse gram , green gram, jowar, wheat, oat, barley, etc. These are consumed along with fruit slices, sugar or milk. Green chilli, lemon juice and salt are sometimes added as flavouring...
and Bel Pana
Bel Pana
Bael pana is a drink made from Bael fruit pulp,in the month of Chaitra and Vaishakha,in Orissa.-Ingredients:Ripe fruits of Bael,milk, Black pepper, Chhena1/4 cup banana peeled and cut into tiny pieces...
with great pleasure.