Surya
Honoured alongside: Agni · Cattle · The harvest
Surya, at the turn of the sun's northward journey — one of the few festivals fixed to the solar calendar rather than a lunar tithi. Where it is a harvest festival, the first grain and the cattle that raised it are honoured alongside.
What the puja consists of
- Bathe at sunrise, at a river or tirtha where possible.
- Offer arghya to the sun with water, sesame and jaggery.
- Cook the new rice — Pongal boiled over until it spills, as a sign of abundance.
- Give til-gud, khichdi and clothing in daan; the giving is considered the substance of the day.
- Honour cattle on Mattu Pongal or Kanuma; fly kites in Gujarat; light the Lohri fire in Punjab the evening before.
Core chants
Named, not printed — each links to a recording where the catalogue has one.
- Mantra
Gayatri Mantraगायत्री मन्त्र
The Vedic verse to the sun, chanted at the morning arghya.
- Stotra
Surya Ashtakamसूर्याष्टकम्
Eight verses to Surya, recited while offering water.
Not in the catalogue yet — ask at your local temple or gurdwara, or learn it from a teacher in your tradition.
- Stotra
Aditya Hridayamआदित्य हृदयम्
Recited for vitality and clarity at the sun's turning.
Not in the catalogue yet — ask at your local temple or gurdwara, or learn it from a teacher in your tradition.
- Mantra
Om Suryaya Namah / Om Hram Hreem Hraum Sah Suryaya Namahॐ सूर्याय नमः
Japa through the morning, commonly with twelve names of the sun.
Not in the catalogue yet — ask at your local temple or gurdwara, or learn it from a teacher in your tradition.
It differs where you are. Effectively several festivals on one date: Tamil Nadu's four-day Pongal, Assam's Magh Bihu with its feasting and bonfires, Punjab's Lohri and Maghi, Gujarat's Uttarayan kite flying, and the Ganga Sagar and Prayagraj Magh Mela bathing.
This page is editorial context, not religious instruction. Where your family, region or lineage does it differently, that is the version to follow — ask an elder or a teacher in your tradition rather than a website.