Ratha Saptami, called Magha Saptami in Odisha, is the seventh day of the bright fortnight of Magha. Before dawn lakhs gather on Chandrabhaga beach, three kilometres from the Sun temple at Konark, to bathe where a river of that name once met the sea, and to watch the Sun come up out of the Bay of Bengal. The Chandrabhaga Mela is the second largest fair in the state after the Ratha Jatra.
The story
Samba, son of Krishna, was cursed with leprosy. He did penance to the Sun for twelve years at Maitreya Vana, on the bank of the Chandrabhaga, was cured on this day, and raised a temple to the god.
The temple that stands at Konark now was built in the thirteenth century by Narasimhadeva of the Eastern Ganga dynasty as a stone chariot of twenty-four wheels drawn by seven horses.
How it is kept
- The bathTaken before sunrise at Chandrabhaga, then offerings to the rising Sun.
- The processionThe images of the Konark temple's deities are brought to the sea the previous evening.
- Surya pujaOfferings at the Navagraha shrine at Konark.
- The melaA week of fair on the beach.
Why this date
Magha Saptami is the seventh tithi of the bright fortnight of Magha, on the day it is present at sunrise.
Ratha Saptami in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Tuesday | |
| 2026 | Sunday | |
| 2027 | Saturday | |
| 2028 | Thursday | |
| 2029 | Monday | |
| 2030 | Saturday |
More Odia festivals
23 JanuarySaraswati Pujaସରସ୍ୱତୀ ପୂଜା
14 JanuaryMakar Sankrantiମକର ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି
15 FebruaryMaha Shivaratriମହା ଶିବରାତ୍ରି
3 MarchDola Purnimaଦୋଳ ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣିମା
26 MarchRama Navamiରାମ ନବମୀ
2 AprilHanuman Jayantiହନୁମାନ ଜୟନ୍ତୀ
Where to see Ratha Saptami
In Odisha
- Chandrabhaga BeachOdishaThe place of the bath and of Samba's cure.
- Sun Temple, KonarkOdishaThe chariot in stone, a World Heritage Site.
- Biranchinarayan Temple, BugudaOdishaCalled the wooden Konark, a Sun temple in Ganjam with carved timber and murals.
Across India
- ArasavalliAndhra PradeshThe Sun temple down the coast near Srikakulam.
- ModheraGujaratThe Solanki Sun temple and its tank.
- TirumalaAndhra PradeshSeven processions on seven mounts in one day.