When Should We Celebrate Makar Sankraanti?

What is Makar Sankraanti? By definition Sankraanti means the moment the Sun transits into another Sign. Since there are 12 Signs so are Sankraanti a year, because the Sun has to transit all the 12 Signs. In whichever Sign the Sun goes in that moment is named on that Sign's name - such as Chaitra Sankraanti, Vaishaakh Sankraanti and so on. In the same way when the Sun enters Makar (Capricorn) Sign, it is called Makar Sankraanti. Usually it coincides with the start of Maagh month. Thus the Makar Sankraanti must be celebrated on the day when the Sun enters Capricorn Sign or Maagh month; not by the 14th January.

For example, in 2010, the Sun will enter the Maagh month on 21st Dec - Poornimaa of Maargsheersh Maas.

Among all all the Ved, Puraan and Tantra works have praised Udagayan or Uttaraayan (Winter Solstice), the shortest day of the year, as one of the most auspicious occasions of the year. In earlier times, it was said that it was impossible even for a Yogee to capture the actual moment of such an event as there were neither computers nor JPL/NASA around then.

The exact moment of such an auspicious phenomenon is 23 hrs 38 mts 23 secs UT/GMT of December 21, 2010, which, when translate into IST (Indian Standard Time), it becomes 5 hrs 8 mts 23 seconds of December 22, 2010. It was the start of the Vaidik solar month Tapah and solar Maagh as per the Ved and the Vedaang Jyotish.

When Mesh, Vrish etc Raashi got imported into India from Babylonia via the Greeks, through the Soorya Siddhaant by some Greek astrologer who masqueraded as Mayaasur, the day of Uttaraayan became known as Makar Sankraman (Sankraanti) as per all the Siddhaant. On the same basis, all the Puraan also called the day of Uttaraayan as Makar Sankraanti (which is known as Pongal in South India and Shishir Sankraanti in J & K and other Northern states).

As evidence of the same, here are enclosed the following documents from:
1. Vishnu Puraan (PS 1)
2. Bhaagavat and Panch Saiddhaantikaa (Bhaagavat-1)
3. Tantraalok (1)
4. Yog Vashishth (01)
5. Soorya Siddhaant (5)

The Makar Sankraanti or Pongal on January 14, 2011, as declared by Raashtreeya Panchaang (read Lahiri Panchaang), is actually an "almighty" Lahiri Pongal-cum-Makar Sankraanti and does not have any sanction from any Shaastra. Same is the case with Raman Makar Sankraanti and all the other Makar Sankranti, since all such Makar Sankraanti do not coincide with the day of Uttaraayan, are creations of Phalit Jjyotishee, who became Panchaang-makers with the passage of time. They are actually "committing the entire Hindu society to Adharm" by all such Niraayan Sankraanti, as per the words of the "Report of (Saha) Calendar Reform Committee" page 260.