Kumbha Mela: Not just the largest but the oldest religious practice of the world supported by State.

Published in Ind Samachar

A recent article in The New York Times lamented about the excellent arrangements made for the Kumbha Mela at Prayagraj as something abominable and done with the aim of catching votes! Even the development of amenities, construction of roads and flyovers and ban on letting out tannery effluents into the Ganga were commented upon by this newspaper as agenda-driven to keep the Hindu vote bank in good humour. While this is nothing but an expression of a sick mind, one accusation needs to be cleared to set the record straight and also to keep the Hindus informed of how this event was managed in the past.

The report has termed this Kumbha Mela as ‘State sponsorship’ of the religion of the Hindus. It ‘justifies’ this criticism by quoting a figure of $600 million as having gone into the making of a number of bridges, roads, flyovers, trashcans, toilets etc for the visiting population. While this is nothing but long term investment benefiting the entire region, what the newspaper had failed to understand is that this event was not just Paraygraj-centric, but is celebrated all over India wherever there are temples. And in all those temples, this event was sponsored by the kings or/ and by the community living around the temple in olden days. Temple inscriptions stand as evidence for ‘State sponsorship’ of this event in those temples.

This event is a yearly affair even now in the temples of Tamilnadu and celebrated on the Full Moon of the month of Kumbha (Aquarius) by the name “Maasi Magham”. Gods themselves are taken out in a procession and given bath in the sea, or river or confluence of rivers or in a nearby tank, in the absence of access to other water bodies. In the very heart of the capital city Chennai, in the temple of Adhipureeswarar in Tiruvottriyur, there stands a pillar inscription on the gift of money by an assembly of members for conducting this festival which we call as Kumbh Mela today.

(Source: Inscriptions Of The Madras Presidency Vol.I by Rangacharya.V.)

An inscription found in the Devanatha Perumal temple of Tiruvaheendipuram in Cuddalore conveys about the grant of land and tax exemption for generating money for conducting this festival. The mention of tax exemption makes it clear that the grant was ‘State- sponsored’.

Maasi Magham, the annual celebration of Kumbha Mela celebrated even now in the temples of Tamilnadu had been continuing from an undated past if we look at a verse of Sangam text called ‘Pattinappalai’. This text, presumably written before the start of the Common Era refers to a temple on the shore of Pumpukar, known as ‘Magha viṇmeen kottam’ (temple of Magha star).

By the name of it, this temple was exclusively meant for Magha festival when Moon becomes full in Magha star in the month of Maasi (Sun in Aquarius). Today this temple is not there – perhaps lost into the sea due to successive inundation experienced in Pumpukar in the past. But the reference to this in southern most part of India makes Kumbha festival a pan-Indian festival and the oldest one in recorded history, with the Sangam text testifying its antiquity.

The text continues to mention about two lakes associated with it and named as ‘material desire of present birth’ and ‘desire of future birth’ (Ulagiyal immai-k kaamam, Marumai-k kaamam). These names being self- descriptive, it is obvious that people had taken sacred bath in these lakes on Maasi Magham for material gains in this birth and future birth. The entire community – who were all Hindus and none else – have considered this occasion as sacred and worthy of a dip in the waters.

This concept must have been there in temples of North India too and supported by the kings of yore. But with temples becoming the target of the invaders of alien faith that culture had vanished in north India, and Kumbh Mela revived in later centuries. The Wikipedia article giving a recent genesis for Kumbha Mela is an evidence of the revival of this festival by a beleaguered civilization limping back to normalcy. What is wrong in keeping up this ancient practice in its glory? Is it not the duty of the State to preserve this culture that has been continuing for more than 2000 years, going by the reference found in the Tamil Sangam text? The mischievous article in The New York Times is against humanity in having cast aspersions on the conduction of a heritage practice that a civilised society is expected to cherish. 

Before ending, let us know about the uniqueness the holy dip at Prayagraj which is considered supreme. The reason, as told in Mahabharata (13-25) is that ten thousand tirthas and thirty crores of other tirthas are supposed to come to Prayagraj in the month of Magha. Therefore a dip at Prayagraj in the month of Magha and on the day of Full moon is supposed to be equal to taking dips at all the tirthas of Bharat. The one who takes the dip is cleansed of his sins and attains heaven, says Bhishma to Yudhsithira. The description in this chapter doesn’t restrict the event to once in 12 years or 6 years but to every year. Sacredness is attached to the astronomical combination occurring every year.

The 12 year and the like are related to the movement of Jupiter reckoned in the calendar of Jupiter Era or Barhaspatya-mana at the height of Vedic culture. The calendar system was different then with five years making a yuga and 7 yugas making a 35 year cycle. The location of Jupiter during different yugas of this cycle was immortalised into Kumbh Mela years later, when Vedic culture was on the wane. The continuity without losing the advantage of the astronomical combination of the day makes Kumbha Mela the oldest continuing practice – something not found in any other part of the world. Let us celebrate this fact on this sacred month of Kumbh Mela. 

Vedic view of Uttarayana (winter solstice), equinox (Vishu) and 'fall' of star Abhijit (Vega)- a critique of Dr Raj Vedam's article.

Update on December 8, 2019

Check out my videos describing the Vedic view of to and fro oscillation of the equinoxes within 54 degrees and the polar shifts within 54 degree arc of the sky.

Understanding equinoxes the Vedic way

Identifying the northern pole stars in the Vedic concept of 54 degree oscillation. 

The most vexatious and the least understood idea of ‘precession’ of equinoxes had a re-run of the same kind in an article (reproduced below)## that I recently read. Behind the attractive title of when Makar Sankaranti was first celebrated, the reader is offered  three synchronies, (1) coincidence of Uttarayana (winter solstice) with Makar Sankaranti, (2) Makar Sankaranti coinciding with Til harvest and (3) the current date of Makar Sankaranti coinciding with the date of Uttarayana during the period of Nilaknatha Somayaji in 1500s.

With due respects to the author of these synchronies, let me state that none of these do matter in understanding Uttarayana or Makar Sankaranti and the article offers no justification to the question in the title, “When did we first celebrate Makar Sankaranti?” Without attempting to answer this question which is historical in nature, attempts of the author to find its synchronies using modern software could only confound mis-information. The answers do not lie in the astronomy software but in understanding the domain knowledge of what our ancient rishis watched in the sky and for what they used that knowledge.

To give a sample idea of what this domain knowledge was like, a verse in Brihad Samhita says (Ch 3- 4) that if the sun commences its northward movement (Uttarayana) before reaching Makara (Capricorn) it would bring evil on the west and south. Similarly if it turns towards south (Dakshinayana) before it reaches Kataka (Cancer), it would cause harm to east and north. What this conveys is that it was well within the knowledge of the rishis that the movement (ayana) is not constant and cannot synchronise with Makara or Kataka at all times. It must have taken not just a few hundred but thousands of years of observation of the movement of the Ayanas (of the sun) and the terrestrial events related to the movement. 

Today Uttarayana starts before the sun reaches Makara – the same condition mentioned in Brihad samhita. Interestingly no text speaks about Uttarayana after it slipped south of Makara that is in Dhanus (Sagittarius) which had happened more than 1500 years ago. The last time we hear about the conjunction of Makar Sankaranti and Uttarayana is from Varahamihira. After that the next reference – plenty of them are there - comes in the inscriptions of1000 years before present. Interestingly they refer to “Uttarayana Sankaranti” and the dates concur with Makara Sankaranti only and not the actual date of Uttarayana (sun turning towards north after it reaches the southernmost point). That means Uttarayana to the south of Makara was never recognised for rituals and instead it was combined with Makara Sankaranti – on the date the sun enters Makara.

It is here the problem of non-synchronous synchrony between the two has been taken up by modern researchers who think that we are wrong in having “Uttarayana Sankaranti”. They insist that Uttarayana must be recognised at the current location of northward movement and adjust the dates of the festivals accordingly.

But the fact is that tropical solstice or Equinox do not determine the festivals or rituals of the Vedic society. Only the sun and moon as Panchānga factors are reckoned for fixing the dates of festivals. Today vernal equinox starts at 6 degrees of Pisces and modern reformers want us to start Aries at that point. This is nothing but lack of domain knowledge of Vedic astronomy – for, the month of Chaitra (Aries)  is determined by the full moon happening in Chitra star, but it does not happen so when the sign of Aries starts with the Sun in 6^th degree of Pisces. Vedic astronomy synchronises stars, sun and the moon for identifying “time” for any ritual. In the very beginning of Rig Jyothisha, it is said that knowledge of all these is to know the effect of Time. This part –that is, effect-related- to- celestial entities – is what makes Vedic astronomy different from modern astronomy.

Another pet theory of modernists is that seasons will change with precession, whereas ground reality is that the rainy season of Ramayana had not changed even now. The reason is that sidereal position of the sun is always kept intact whatever the precession may be. The purpose of Vedic astronomy being identification of Time for rituals, constant course correction is being done with stars as reference points. Due to this reason, rainy season always starts in Ashada month and summer always peaks when the sun passes through Krittika.

Fall of Abhijit (Vega in the constellation of Lyra).

While on the topic of Krittika, a major mis-conception must be exposed on the so-called ‘fall’ of the star Abhijit. The article under discussion refers to Abhijit as a pole star and a fallen star quoting secondary sources. If only the primary source was analysed, the author would have known that the ‘fall’ of Abhijit is not actually a fall in the literary sense of the term but removal from the zodiac – in which case, the vacancy was filled by Krittika!

This means that the star Krittika (Pleiades) was not at all considered as part of the 27 stars of the zodiac at one time. From the events described in Vana Parva of Mahabharata (ch 227 to 229), it is known that Rohini was in the lead (equinox) once when Vishaka was a full star and not divided between two signs as it is now between Libra and Scorpio. At that time a huge fire (called Adbhuda) had ravaged the lands and some re-design or re-organisation of the zodiac was done as a result. Since events were connected with the transit of sun, the fire at Rohini was a mismatch. So Krittika, a star group very much close-by (for naked eye observation) was included with its deity identified as Agni.

Around the same time, it was noticed that Abhijit which was reckoned at a place where Makara begins today (90 degrees to the left of Rohini – with Rohini as the point of Vishu or equinox) had slipped southward. That being the point of Uttarayana, and with Uttarayana no longer happening in Abhijit, it was thought fit to revamp the zodiac with Abhijit expunged from the star-group and substituted by Krittika in between Bharani and Rohini. In naked eye observation they are seen to be cramped within a short span of space – giving credence to the story that Krittika was added afterwards. That was the time Skanda alias Muruga was around according to the version in Mahabharata.  He was very valorous and so was deified with a mythological spin of six women, who happened to be the wives of six of the seven rishis of the Sapta rishi Mandala (Ursa Major).

Here also an interesting astronomical truth is encapsulated in Mahabharata. They ancient rishis had identified a companion for each of the seven stars of the Sapta rishi mandala but had found that six of them had changed position with only Arundhati retaining the same location with reference to the star identified as her husband, Vashishta. To give a mythological tinge to the deification of Skanda, the rishis had framed a story that the six wives have turned into the six Krittika women who nursed Skanda. All these events – the Adbhuda fire, the slip down of the northern movement of the sun to the south of Abhijit, replacement of Abhijit with Krittika and change in the position of six companion stars – had been noticed during the same period leading to a re-vamp of the zodiac.

Skanda was repeatedly referred to as having taken up the face of the goat in the narration in Mahabharata – a reference to Mesha becoming the first sign of the zodiac. In this set- up the maximum precession or progression had happened within 27 degrees on either side of the zero degree Aries which we celebrate as New Year or Vishu. This Vishu regressed upto 24 degrees as of today, but it doesn’t matter, it is going to swing back in forward motion soon – that is the Vedic wisdom we gather from the ancient texts.

To quote a source, Vayu Purana speaks about a ‘veethi’ (street) concept (Ch 50- 130). It tells about a northern street called Naga veethi and a southern street called Ajaveethi. It says 

“when the sun rises in the constellations Mula, Purvashada and Uttrashada it is called Ajaveethi. When the sun rises during the rise of the three stars after Abhijit, it is called Nagaveethi.”

After Abhijit, comes Shravana, Dhanishta and Satabhishak. The verse is a clear indication of northern movement (Uttarayana ) of sun limited to the extent of Mula only. The three stars from Mula occurring south of Makara, it was given the name, Southern street (where Uttarayana happens as it is happening today). After crossing Makara – where Abhijit was once located, the northern movement of the ayana could go only upto Satabhishak after which the movement would be reversed. This part of the movement was known as Northern street.

This is something unthinkable for the modern researchers who are pushing the ayana and equinox relentlessly around the zodiac. In reality the axial precession to the extent of less than 3 degrees (between 22.1 to 24.5 degrees as per current research) can have the effect of a rocking chair or a Tanjore doll, yes, the famous swaying doll of Tanjore!

The Tanjore doll (above) can sway back and forth but would never topple. A society that sees everything from a cosmic and spiritual perspective can be expected to have devised a play thing in a concept which is very easy to understand. 

The simple proof of how precession works is in the latitudinal angle of tropic of cancer and Capricorn. It will always be the same as the degree of tilt of the axis. Presently the axial tilt is 23.44 degrees. That is the maximum limit of both the tropics. The sun reaches only upto the extent of 23.44 degrees in the north and in the south of equator. With the tilt changing from 22.1 to 24.5 degrees, that is the range within which the two ayanas can travel. This view is expressed in terms Veethi concept with sidereal reference in Vayu Purana.

The maximum extent that the sun can travel on both sides of the equator can be upto Mula 3 degrees in the south and Satabhishak in the north. Accordingly tropic of Sagittarius will mark the northern turn of the sun from southern hemisphere (Uttarayana).  It will be tropic of Gemini in the northern hemisphere marking the southward turn in Dakshinayana. Beyond these two limits the sun can never be seen in the backdrop of the stars of other signs. This oscillation is comparable to the swaying motion of the Tanjore doll.

But why the researchers had thought that equinox and ayanas would do a full round? Perhaps they are inspired by the lunar orbit with reference to earth’s orbit in which case, the point of intersection of the two keeps moving around the zodiac (known as nodes or Rahu and Ketu). That is for an observer on the earth. But earth’s relationship with the sun is not the same. The earth is orbiting the sun – and is not at the centre of the orbit. To put it in simpler terms, in the case of moon orbiting the earth, the moon’s orbit intersects the earth’s orbit. The gradual movement of the point of intersection is noticeable from the earth which makes a full round in 18.5 years.

This is not the same with reference to the sun that is being orbited by the earth. Suppose we are in the location of the sun, and watch the earth move around us, in the same way we watch the moon move around the earth, we can observe the orbit of the earth (ecliptic) cutting the path of the sun at gradually moving different points. But we are circling the sun like how moon is circling the earth. Our observation is not like how we see the moon from the earth. But it is like how a being on moon will be seeing the earth while moon is making circles around the earth. With less than 3 degree variation in the wobble of the tilted earth, the sun will be seen moving across the sky, with the far away stars in the back drop, within a limited span of space. The following diagram shows how it would look.

(For illustrative purpose only, not true to angles)

The above picture shows the maximum shift of the spring equinox caused by the maximum oscillation of the axial tilt of the earth. The shift is between Pisces and Aries only. Beyond this the equinox cannot move. In the past it went upto Rohini, a star in Taurus in the current design of the zodiac. The ‘fall of Abhijit’ and the substitution of Krittika to complete the zodiac had caused the equinoctial shift to move upto Krittika, that has taken the original span of the star Rohini (each star span is 13 degrees and 20 minutes where 60 minutes make one degree)

In the opposite of the ecliptic, the way the autumnal equinox shifts between Libra and Virgo with the median at zero degree Libra is shown in the diagram below. For those in the southern hemisphere, the equinox will be seen to move within 27 degrees on either side of zero degree of Libra.

In these two diagrams, two extreme positions of the wobble are shown as two earths. The location of the sun in the back drop of stars perceived as Equinox, cannot go beyond a certain limit – here shown as 27 degrees on either side of beginning point of Aries and of Libra – which is as per Vedic Thought. The poles as well as the equinox make a restricted movement. As such Uttarayana (Dakshinayana too) is an oscillating phenomenon and cannot be synchronised with Makar Sankaranti. Nor can it be stretched across the zodiac with claims that months and seasons will change with that movement.

Before ending, let me respond to the three synchronies mentioned in the article under critique.

(1) Coincidence of Uttarayana with Makar Sankaranti:

This can happen only when Uttarayana is crossing zero degree Capricorn or the 270^th degree of the zodiac that starts with Aries at zero degrees. Whenever Uttarayana started before the sun reached Makara, Vedic society had not recognised it as the starting point. It had always maintained Makara Sankramana (entry) as Uttarayana. When Uttarayana had occurred after the sun reached Makara, then only Uttarayana was recognised, whatever be its position. That is what we are seeing in Rig Jyothisha. One should remember that Makara Sankaranti was conspicuously absent in those times. That is because Makara Sankaranti was happening in Dakshinayana at those times. With importance given to the 270^th degree (which is 90 degree to the left of Equinox in fixed zodiac) when Abhijit was seen not to be the star of Uttarayana, a re-design of the zodiac was done, after expunging Abhijit from the zodiac. Detailed explanation can be read in the last chapter of my book "Myth of The Epoch of Arundhati of Nilesh Nilkanth Oak".

(2) Makar Sankaranti coinciding with Til harvest:

There is no proof for this whereas the available inscriptional evidence shows that harvest was over in Aippasi- Karthigai and in Panguni- Chitthirai. There is evidence of payment of “Karthigau Kaasu” at the end of rainy season and “Chitthirai Kaasu” after the end of winter crops. Read my earlier article on how Pongal was a recent development and not a replacement for Makar Sankaranti in Tamil lands.  

(3) The current date of Makar Sankaranti coinciding with the date of Uttarayana during the period of Nilaknatha Somayaji in 1500s:

The author had written,

“The final synchrony we examine is to ask the question, when did Makar Sankranti last coincide with Jan 13th/14th? By direct simulation on planetarium software, we find this date to be around 1500s CE. This period is startlingly, the exact period of the famous Kerala astronomer, Nilakantha Somayaji (1444-1544), author of Tantrasangrama, who would have been aware of the length of the tropical year and the effect of Precession from works of Aryabhata, Bhaskara II as well as Surya Siddhanta, and might have computed the date accordingly. This date was probably left untouched since.”

The author first tries to match the Gregorian date of present day Makar Sankaranti with the date of Uttarayana when it last coincided with the same Gregorian date. This is nothing but absurd as Gregorian calendar does not track the star path as Vedic astronomy (it is astrology only but modernists refuse to use that term). As explained earlier, Uttarayana and Makar Sankaranti are not the same and our sages did not bother to synchronise them. The synchronisation is done like a play by modernists with the help of astronomy software.

Next the author says that Uttarayana was kept track of until then (Nilakantha’s time) but not corrected thereafter. I wish he along with all those modern chronologists of his ilk understand the fact that Uttaryana and every other time keeping was done with reference to the stars in the backdrop of the sun and not in a fixed position in the zodiac when the earth comes to the same point in its orbit around the sun. Therefore it is irrational to synchronise the current date of Makar Sankaranti with Uttarayana in the past.

In fact the Gregorian calendar came into use after the time of Nilakantha. It is on record of Madras Journal of Literature and Science (1833-34) that Makar Sankaranti occurred on 11^th January in sync with the equinoctial position in fixed zodiac on 11^th April in the year 1834. (This is the Tamil New Year or Vishu). Around the time the Gregorian calendar was introduced, the sidereal New Year (zero degree Aries) started on 11th April and Makar Sankaranti on 11^th January. The years before that would see the backward movement of the calendar date with reference to Vishu and Makar Sankaranti. 100 years from now Vishu will occur on 15th / 16th April and Makar Sankaranti on 15^th / 16^th January. It makes no sense to synchronise Gregorian date with sidereal date.

Finally let me attempt to answer the question raised by the author in the title “When did we first celebrate Makar sankaranti?” That goes to the time before the ‘fall’ of Abhijit – a time when Skanda, a hero of Tamil texts lived. Until then Uttarayana and Makar Sankaranti had coincided. Once they started noticing the ‘fall’ of Abhijit and Uttarayana happening after 270^th degree of the zodiac, they had thought of making corrections. It was then a massive fire had occurred when the equinox was in Rohini. This was unacceptable as Rohini was thought to be ruled by creator Brahma. Therefore Krittika was introduced in the place of Rohini and Rohini’s span was pushed forward. By how many degrees this could have happened would be discussed in another article.

By excluding Abhijit from the zodiac the rishis had revealed their mind – that the sun going south of Makara is inauspicious but they can wait for its return to Naga Veethi. However their love for Abhijit made them name the mid day muhurtha after Abhijit.  

It would do well to the retention of ancient wisdom of Vedic rishis, if modern astronomy software based researchers stop spreading their mis-construed ideas as truth to gullible yet eager readers. 

 
Related article: Zodiac is like a Balance with Chithira Vishu on top of the central beam

                           ******************* END********************

## From

https://swarajyamag.com/science/when-did-we-first-celebrate-makar-sankranti

When Did We First Celebrate Makar Sankranti?

by Raj Vedam

 - Jan 13, 2017, 3:20 pm

The widespread celebration of the Makar Sankranti festival and its many regional variations hint at great antiquity. In this article, we will take a journey through time, weaving together history, astronomy, calendars, seasons, agriculture and common customs, to find connections and understand the antiquity of the festival, and as an outcome, we will examine three different synchronisms for Makar Sankranti.

We first discuss points of astronomical significance, to appreciate the antiquity of the festival.

1. As the Earth rotates on its 23.5 degree tilted axis from west to east, it would appear that celestial bodies that rise in the eastern horizon set in the western horizon, except for the stars closer to the celestial North (South) Pole that would appear to circle it.

2. Earth’s annual revolution around the Sun while tilted at 23.5 degrees gives the phenomenon of seasons, due to the changing amounts of sunlight in each hemisphere, in each quarter segment of the revolution.

3. The visible stars are so distant from our solar system that they appear to be fixed with respect to the Earth’s revolution. As the Earth makes progress in its revolution each day, it would appear that the familiar constellations also change in the sky. Thus the constellations that appear in the night sky in a given month will repeat in a year’s time (ignoring the slow effect of precession, discussed in point 7). The situation is analogous to looking outside a train window on a circular track – the same scenery will appear at the same point on the circular track.

4. Due to the Earth’s tilt at 23.5 degrees, from an Earth-bound observation point, it would appear that the sunrise is offset by a small amount daily, and reaches a southernmost point – the Winter Solstice, and reverses course, and reaches a northernmost point, the Summer Solstice. Ancient Indians recognized the six-month southern journey of the Sun as Dakshinayana, and the 6-month northern journey as the auspicious Uttarayana. The epic Mahabharata, recounts Bhishma who could control the time of his death, and lay on a bed of arrows, waiting for the start of Uttarayana, for more than 92 days (Nilesh Nilakanth Oak, When Did the Mahabharata War Happen?), hinting ancient observance of the Winter solstice occurrence.

5. Indian astronomical work divided the sky into twenty-seven Nakshatras that each occupies 13 and 1/3 degree segments, approximately the distance traveled by the Moon in a 24 hour period against the fixed stars. Each Nakshatra was identified by the principal stars in that segment of the sky. The Nakshatra model forms part of the earliest corpus of Indian works on astronomy, dating to the Vedic era.

6. In addition to the twenty-seven Nakshatras, ancient Indians also divided the sky into 12 equal parts of thirty degrees each, called the Rashis. While there have been some Western assertions that ancient Indians borrowed the Rashi model from Babylon, Subhash Kak shows otherwise in his book, Astronomical Code of the Rgveda, about the Vedic origin of the Rashis, evolving from the twelve Adityas. See fig.1.

The twelve Rashis shown on the ceiling of the 12th century Airavatesvara temple in Darasuram, Tamil Nadu.

7. Due to the gravitational effects of Sun and Moon (and to a lesser extent, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn), the Earth wobbles on its axis, and completes a non-uniform cycle in about 25,771 years, referred to as Precession of Equinox. Due to this wobble, the celestial North Pole (and South Pole) appears to change over time, and the Rashis appear to drift slowly over the years. More than 2500 years ago, ancient Indians had observed and measured the wobble at a degree for every 100 years. 

This translates to a measure of 36,000 years, a figure repeated by Hipparchus around 150 BCE. One of the best estimates of Precession was made by Bhaskara II of Ujjain in the 12th century, to 25,461 years, and not improved upon till modern times. It is very interesting that ancient Indians had noted a time when Abhijit (the star Vega) was once the pole-star, and also a time when it was no longer the pole-star. Abhijit was at the Celestial North Pole approximately 14,000 years ago. Around 7000 years ago, it would have appeared to have “fallen” in the sky, as noted by Dr. P.V.Vartak (in Scientific Dating of Ramayana and the Vedas), calling out a reference to a passage in the Mahabharata.

We now define Makar Sankranti as the date when from an Earth-bound observation point, the Sun enters the Makar Rashi, also called Capricorn.

Ancient Indians noted the Winter Solstice as the start of the auspicious Uttarayana. At some point in the past, Uttarayana coincided with Makar Sankranti, and constitutes our first point of synchrony. We can determine the time period when the two coincided by considering the effects of Precession. Prior to that, it is instructive to note how ancient Indians and Europeans recorded the passage of time.

Subhash Kak notes that even before Vedanga Jyotish, ancient Indians’ 27-Nakshatra and 12 Rashi system used a luni-solar calendar where every 5 years, an additional month called Adhika Masa was added, synchronizing the lunar and solar years. Ancient Indians also estimated the tropical year, defined as the period when the Sun enters the same seasonal point – say, a solstice point.

Aryabhata and Bhaskara II had estimated the tropical year at 365 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes, and 30 seconds, the same figure as estimated in the ancient Indian text, Surya Siddhanta. The modern figure for the tropical year is approximately 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds.

In the Western system, Julius Caesar instituted the Julian calendar in 46 BCE, dividing the year of 365 days to 12 months, and adding a day every 4th year, thus averaging to 365 days, 6 hours - a figure less accurate than the Surya Siddhanta. Due to this approximation, this calendar accumulated errors over the years, causing a “slip” in the dates of the equinoxes and solstices. The modern Gregorian calendar introduced in 1582, introduced a correction, where if a year is integer-divisible by 4, it is considered a leap year, except for those centurial years that are integer-divisible by 100, and with further overruling exception to those centurial years that are integer-divisible by 400, which were considered as leap years. With the modern Gregorian calendar, the equinoxes and solstices occur on approximately the same date each year, and considering Precession, has an error of about 1 day every 7700 years.

Considering the first synchrony, the Winter solstice today coincides with the Dhanus Sankranti – one Rashi away from Makar. This slip has happened due to the Precession noted earlier.

Position of the Sun in relation to the Rashis on Winter solstice, Dec 21st, 2016. Because of Precession, it is a Dhanus Sankranti, rather than a Makar Sankranti.

Assuming a uniform Precession rate of 25,771 years for a full circle of 360 degrees, each degree is about 71.5861 years. Rounding the figures and noting that each Rashi occupies 30 degrees, we multiply 72 by 30 to get 2160 – the approximate number of years in the past, when due to Precession, Makar Sankranti would have coincided with the Winter Solstice, approximately in 143 BCE. By simulation in planetarium software, we find that anywhere from 400 BCE to the opening centuries of the Common Era, the Winter solstice date would have coincided with the Sun rising approximately in Makar Rashi. Based on synchrony of the solstice with Makar Sankranti, we propose the festival to have been celebrated since 400 BCE. See figs. 3 and 4.

Position of the Sun in relation to the Rashis on Winter solstice, Dec 25th, 400 BCE. Notice that the Sun rise is in Makar Rashi, making it a Makar Sankranti.

Notice the position of the Sun at 7AM on Jan 14th, 2017, and how 7 days later, it is at the Makar Rashi. Considering Precession, 505 years ago, Makar Sankranti would have been on Jan 14th – exactly the time of Kerala Astronomer, Nilakantha Somayaji, 1512 CE.

Our second dating of the antiquity of the Makar Sankranti festival is by considering the synchrony of Makar Sankranti with the Til/Sesame/Gingelly crop harvest. We notice an India-wide common aspect of celebrating Makar Sankranti – the widespread use of til in traditional sweet preparation. Til is a drought-resistant rabi crop in India, planted currently around mid-November and harvested in April, before the monsoons, taking about 90 to 120 days to grow. Paleo-botanical records suggest an antiquity of at least 3000 BCE for the multi-crop cultivation of til in Rakhigarhi sites and a few centuries later for domestic rice, and trade with Mesopotamia and Egypt in til in 2000 BCE. Up to the medieval period, Indian farmers encoded agricultural wisdom with references to nakshatras to help time their planting and reaping activities. It is fascinating to investigate a period of time when Makar Sankranti coincided with the harvest of the til crop, say in southern India, and was therefore used in celebratory sweet preparation.

Contrary to popular thought, the seasons do not change with Precession. The Milankovitch cycles predict long-term climate changes due to Precession, Obliquity and Tilt cycles of the Earth, but these do not impact the periodical seasons (might make seasons more or less severe, though!). However, if we peg our measurement of time to a Nakshatra/Rashi, that observation can change over time due to Precession. Thus an observation that “rainy season starts in Ashada Masa” can change over time due to Precession.

Our clue is that traditionally, Makar Sankranti is considered as a harvest festival. In Tamil Nadu, there are two planting seasons for Til – Thai Pattam (Jan/Feb) and Adi Pattam (July/August). Considering a 4-month growing period, the Adi Pattam crop harvest would coincide with December. Thus again, the date of about 400 BCE synchronizing the Winter solstice, Til harvest, and Makar Sankranti makes sense.

The final synchrony we examine is to ask the question, when did Makar Sankranti last coincide with Jan 13th/14th? By direct simulation on planetarium software, we find this date to be around 1500s CE. This period is startlingly, the exact period of the famous Kerala astronomer, Nilakantha Somayaji (1444-1544), author of Tantrasangrama, who would have been aware of the length of the tropical year and the effect of Precession from works of Aryabhata, Bhaskara II as well as Surya Siddhanta, and might have computed the date accordingly. This date was probably left untouched since. See figure 4.

We have examined three synchronies regarding Makar Sankranti. The first, based on synchrony with the Winter Solstice gives a date of about 400 BCE. The second, based on a synchrony of til harvest in Tamil Nadu with Makar Sankranti also suggests 400 BCE. The third, based on a synchrony with the tropical calendar, gives a date of 1500s CE.

As we celebrate Makar Sankranti, we should also celebrate the strong traditions of astronomy and mathematics, indelibly tied with the shared experience of the nation, over thousands of years.

Pongal – Tamilnadu’s Makara Samkaranti getting stripped off its Hindu identity.

Published in Ind Samachar

What is Makara Samkaranti for the rest of India is the day of ‘Pongal’ festival in Tamilnadu. Catching up with the difference in the name, the late Karunanidhi found an opportunity to rid this festival of its Hindu identity and chose to call it ‘Egalitarian Pongal’ (Samatthuva Pongal) that can be celebrated by everyone including those of the Abrahamic religions. A decade is gone since then, and Karunanidhi also found his rest but times are such that we are seeing now what he had sown.

Turn on any channel in the TV, you are seeing only ‘Samatthuva Pongal’ – not just ‘Pongal’ celebrated by Muslims, Christians and atheistic politicians. “Samatthuva Pongal” has gained an infectious spread across the State particularly among churches and educational institutions run by the minorities. The Churches are hitting many birds with a single event of this celebration by projecting themselves as the saviours of farmers and as being open-minded and use this as a tool of inculturation of the converted and the future converts.

At Santhome Church: Source HERE

The only sense of satisfaction for an informed Hindu is that it is better for these once-upon-a-time Hindus to celebrate Pongal than to be made to dance for the Thanks Giving Day which is becoming a yearly celebration in Tamilnadu!

 Not to be left behind are the Muslims who have also taken the hint from Karunanidhi and made Samatthuva Pongal a yearly event in their educational institutions. Initially many thought that Muslims would not show interest but what makes them embrace this is known from a report published by The Hindu in 2015 on the event of Samatthuva Pongal organised by the management of a Muslim minority college at Kilakarai. The principal of the college was reported to have said that Samatthuva Pongal helps in burying the religious and communal differences. The only commonality between Pongal of the Hindus and Samatthuva Pongal being the Pongal dish, one is at a loss to understand in what way this dish helps in burying the communal and religious differences!

The actual game plan behind this Samatthuva Pongal became palpable this year on seeing a news report in a TV channel that showed a small group of tribes, not familiar with Pongal in their culture, being made to celebrate this Samatthuva Pongal as a community celebration of three religions! These tribes known as “Paligar” were warrior class who were once employed by Vijayanagara kings to defend the frontiers of their kingdom, says R.V.Russell in volume I of the book ‘The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India’. Their Hindu root is more than obvious by Vijayanagara connection. They were earlier found in the Western Ghats but brought and settled in Nellai district in Tamilnadu in 2001. Easy prey for religious poachers, they are being cosied by the two religions by means of ‘Pongal’, projecting an image that it is being celebrated by all the three religions!

What Hindus had not cared to thrust on these tribes, their handlers had done and made it useful for the two Abrahamic religions – whoever among them is skilful would help the tribes find salvation through Pongal!! Very soon those tribes can be expected to celebrate this festival in their newly found avatars as Christians and Muslims.

Appropriation of Hindu symbols is not new, but hijacking a Hindu festival wholesome is what is being witnessed in Pongal. Cooking the Pongal dish in the open and sharing it with everyone is not a festival – but we have been made to believe it to be so. Karunanidhi’s original plan was to make the day of Pongal the New Year for Tamils and help in combining it with Christmas and New Year. His daughter Kanimozhi worked for it through a Government sponsored festival named “Sangamam” that was started on Christmas day and ended on Pongal day. It is not difficult to know what kind of Sangama she and her father had in mind. Their brainchild is coming off age now with every Hindu being made to pass through Samatthuva Pongal during their study years – the years they are most vulnerable for tall talks on equality, but Pongal has nothing to do with equality. It is unfortunate that even the Hindus-managed educational institutes have fallen for this craze of ‘egalitarianism’ and celebrate Samatthuva Pongal in their premises. Why don’t they celebrate it as just ‘Pongal’ with its Hindu components?

Is Pongal a Tamil festival? 

The brazen truth behind Pongal is that it is not a “Tamil” festival. There exists no record of Pongal festival anytime from Sangam age to later day Tamil dynasties.  The only record comes from the Madras Journal of Literature and Science, 1833-34 edition, which describes the way Pongal was celebrated in Tamil lands. It was the same as how it is celebrated by Hindus now in their homes. It was a two day festival then, with Pongal being the first day followed by Māttu Pongal (Pongal of the cows) the next day. On the evening of Māttu Pongal, the temple deity was taken out in a procession on horse-back in hunting posture. On the same day, the Brahmins would foretell the fortunes and mis-fortunes brought by the deity of “Samkaranti” (Samkaranti Purusha) using astrological calculations!

This shows that Pongal was basically Samkaranti festival in the Tamil lands too, with only the name having come into vogue from the popular dish of the day. Cooking Pongal dish is part of any celebration and not Pongal-festival specific. There are proofs to substantiate this from old Tamil texts such as Silappadhikaram. An inscription of Rajaraja Chola I refers to 34 festivals of which 12 are Samkaranti festivals celebrated every month. So Samkaranti is not unknown to Tamil lands.

Pongal festival cannot be called as harvest festival too, as epigraphic evidences show harvest a month earlier, in Karthigai itself. References to ‘Kaarthigai Kāsu’ and ‘Chithirai Kāsu’ in medieval inscriptions do indicate that harvest-payments were made much before the date of Pongal.

What was Pongal festival in Tamil lands?

The current name for the festival and the festival of ‘Māttu Pongal (Pongal for cows) are indicative of their origins from cow-herds of Krishna cult! The previous day celebration of “Bhogi” not finding mention anywhere in literature or epigraphy in Tamil lands and even in the Madras Journal quoted earlier, it is obvious that it had a pan-Indian influence. A Tamil astrological text called “Varushadhi nool” which is the guide book for writing almanacs says that Bhogi is celebrated in honour of Indra - the festival in whose honour was stopped by Krishna. Indra retaliated by heavy downpour but Krishna protected his folks by holding Govardhana hill as an umbrella.  Subdued by this act Indra sought forgivance and the result was introduction of Bhogi festival in his honour, on the day before Makara Samkaranti.

The beating of drums and bonfire on that day was a remembrance of the sport of Krishna dancing on the snake Kāliya. Young Krishna suffered some snake bites in that event and was kept awake by beating the drums while he was being treated for poisonous wounds.

Māttu Pongal is a proof by itself of its origins in Krishna cult. These festivals are a replica of the Annakut and Govardhan Puja in Dwaraka and regions associated with Krishna. Only the time of the festivals had changed.

This kind of worship must have been confined to cattle breeders only (people of Mullai / Aayars) initially and that may be the reason it was not wide spread among others to have found a place in scriptures or inscriptions. In fact there is an opinion that Pongal was the culmination of the month-long Vaishnavite vrat in Margazhi. In course of time, all the people had started following it along with Samkaranti – with Samkaranti having had longer presence and patronage from kings. 

Karunanidhi has given it greater importance thinking that he is de-Hinduising it. Poor chaps – the Christians, Muslims and anti-Hindu Tamil speakers – they are clamouring after Krishna–cult that was once confined to a section of people of Tamilnadu. 

It is time Hindus wake up to the reality of the long standing festival of Samkaranti fused into Pongal of Krishna cult and not fall into the trap of Samatthuva Pongal.