It is important to narrate the legend that is at the heart of the annual congregation at Sagar. King Sagar of the Ikshvaku dynasty ruling at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh had two queens, Keshani and Sumati, but neither had a child. Sagar performed severe austerities before his wives could produce sons. But whereas Keshani gave birth to a son called Asmajas, Sumati bore 60,000 sons. Sagar performed the Ashwamedha Yagya (sacrifice) to declare his suzerainty over the neighboring kingdoms. According to the prevalent custom, the sacrificial horse was let loose and allowed to wander into the neighboring kingdoms. If the horse was caught, a battle ensued and the outcome decided the winner. The 60,000 sons of Sagar were following the horse when they saw him enter a cavern where sage Kapil Muni was meditating. Kapil Muni was the son of Kardam Rishi and Daksh's daughter Devahooti. He was Avataar of Vishnu. Not seeing the horse in the cavern, they presumed that Kapil Muni had captured it. They did not kill Kapil Muni as he was a sage but they started disturbing his meditations. Annoyed at being disturbed, Kapil Muni with a curse burnt the 60,000 sons of Sagar. Time passed and later Bhagiratha, the great grandson of Sagar, chanced to come across the bones of his dead ancestors. He wanted to perform the shraddha of his ancestors but there was no water available for the ceremony. Agastya having drunk all the waters of the ocean, the country was passing through a severe drought. Bhagiratha prayed to Brahma, the Creator, to end the drought. Brahma asked him to pray to Vishnu, the Preserver, to allow the heavenly Ganga, issuing from His big toe, to come down to earth. Vishnu when prayed to by Bhagiratha agreed, but asked him to request Shiva, the third member of the Hindu trinity of Gods, to allow cascade of Ganga’s water to fall on his head before it came to the earth as the river. Shiva agreed, and Ganga watered the mortal remains of King Sagar’s 60000 sons liberating their souls once and forever. It is this legend that attracts people to this little island in a remote southern corner of West Bengal. The temple of Kapil Muni, as we see it today, is by no means the spot where the sage meditated. It went under the sea millennium ago followed by the many others built in its place, which subsequently was also swallowed, by the advancing sea. The present one was built only a few decades ago, quite a bit away from the sea. In the temple, three images engraved in stone are displayed, the one in the middle is that of Kapil Muni. The sage is seen in a jogasana; his eyes wide open, looking towards the sea. The idols of Ganga and King Sagar flank Kapil Muni and the horse of the sacrificial yagna stands at a distance.
Makar Shankranti is a very auspicious day as per Hindu calendar. While the traditional Indian Calendar is based on lunar positions, Sankranti is a solar event. So while dates of all Hindu festivals keep changing as per the Gregorian calendar, the date of Makar Sankranti remains constant over a long term, 14 January. Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the juncture of the last day of Hindu Calendar month of Poush and first day of Magha (January 14-15. On this day, the Sun moves from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Tropic of Cancer. According to the Hindu astrology, this is defined as movement of the Sun from Dhanu Rashi (Sagittarius) to Makara Rashi (Capricorn). Rashis are equivalent to the zodiac signs. The movement of the Sun from one zodiac sign into another is called Sankranti.
[Picture Courtsey: Wikipedia]The day commemorates the beginning of the harvest season and cessation of the northeast monsoon in South India. It is known by different names in different regions. While Makar Sankranti is the name in most states, in other states such as Gujarat and Rajasthan it is called Uttarayan (signifying northward movement of the Sun), Maghi in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, Pongal in Tamil Nadu. In Thailand, the day is called Songkran, in Myanmar it is called Thingyan and in Cambodia Moha Sangkran. Apart from a harvest festival is also regarded as the beginning of an auspicious phase in Indian culture. The day marks the end of an inauspicious phase which according to the Hindu calendar begins around mid-December. No auspicious and sacred ritual such as marriage is held during the phase of mid-December to mid-January. Makar Sankranti marks the beginning of the ‘day’ of Gods, while the phase of southward movement of the sun is believed to be the ‘night’ of Gods. From the day of Makar Sankranti, all pending social and religious events are organized with great fervor and fanfare. Most Bengalis like myself look forward to a number of seasonal delicacies and expect a spate of marriage invitations starting mid-January! From a science perspective, this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights. The significance of the day has been conclusively established through several important episodes of Indian mythology. According to the Puranas, on this day Surya (Sun God) visits the house of his son Shani (Saturn), who is the lord of the Makar Rashi. Though the father and son duo did not get along well, the Surya made it a point to meet his son on this day and stay with him for a month. This day thus symbolizes the importance of the special relationship between father and son. It was also on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the terror of the Asuras (Demons). While taking a dip in Ganga and praying to the Sun is the predominant form of worship on this day, the people of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharastra also celebrate by flying colorful kites. Preparing food at home with the new harvest crop such as rice and seasonal delicacies such as jaggery (sugar extracted from sap of date palm or sugarcane) is the custom in most places. Coconut and milk is also abundantly used for such preparations. Sankranti is celebrated over four days in states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
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