Makara Sankranti marks the sun's entry into Makara and the beginning of uttarayana, its northward journey. It is the harvest festival of the subcontinent — Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri in Punjab, Bihu in Assam, Uttarayan in Gujarat.
Source: Bhagavad Gita 8.24
agnir jyotir ahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇ-māsā uttarāyaṇam
Krishna names fire, light, day and the six months of uttarayana as the northern path — the passage the season now opens.
Honoured deity: Surya, with Vishwakarma and the cow honoured regionally
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