Ratha Saptami 2027

About Ratha Saptami

Ratha Saptami falls on the seventh day of the bright half of Magha. It is honoured as Surya Jayanti, the day the Sun god is believed to have been born to Aditi and the sage Kashyapa, and also as the day his chariot, drawn by seven horses, turns toward the north. The seven horses are often linked with the seven days of the week and the seven colours of light. Coming as winter gives way to warmer days, the festival is a thanksgiving to the Sun for light, warmth and the growth of crops.

The day is kept widely in South India, in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, and also in Maharashtra and parts of North India, where it is often called Achala Saptami or Surya Saptami. At Tirumala, the deity is taken out on seven vahanas from dawn to night, one after another, a celebration often described as a one-day Brahmotsavam. Surya temples such as Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh and Konark in Odisha see large gatherings.

The most distinctive custom is the sunrise bath. In many South Indian homes, seven arka leaves, from the erukku or calotropis plant, are placed on the head, shoulders and other parts of the body during the bath, sometimes with a little rice and turmeric, while a prayer to Surya is recited. After the bath, devotees offer arghya, water poured from cupped hands or a vessel toward the rising Sun, and say the names of Surya. A rangoli of the Sun's chariot is drawn at the door, and in some homes milk is boiled facing the Sun and cooked into a sweet offering. Many also keep a light fast, give to others, or recite Surya prayers through the day.

A practical note: the day is chosen by the Saptami tithi at sunrise, and the bath is ideally taken in the hour around sunrise. Families follow their own customs about the number of leaves and the prayers used.