The Variety of Sankranti

Sankranti marks Sun worship as well as harvest.

As an agrarian society, India celebrates Sankranti in many forms. It is a day of Sun worship, a day of gratitude for the harvest,  a day of celebrations and also a day for yatra.

Each part of India celebrates Makar Sankranti uniquely. This quiz takes you through this variety of Sankranti. It covers the festival, its antiquity and the tradition of Sun worship. It covers diverse festivities around Sankranti. It also takes you through the archeology of Surya.

V C Srivastava of Allahabad University published the first comprehensive survey of sun worship in India in 1972. Before him, in 1957, Jitendra Nath Banerjea chronicled the development of the iconography of Surya. We have generously drawn from them, among others.