The Warrior Who Waited for the Sun to Turn

Makar Sankranti marks the day the sun goes into the sign of Makara, which is Capricorn. That starts Uttarayana, the stretch when the sun's path seems to swing north. The days grow longer after the depth of winter. Most Hindu feasts follow the moon. This one is fixed to the sun. That is part of why it falls on nearly the same date, in mid January, every year.

That turn of the sun has long been held, in Vedic and Puranic tradition, to be lucky in a way of its own. It stands apart from other points in the calendar. It is taken as a good time for inner work, and for giving to others. In the tale that follows it is taken as a good time to die.