Sankranti is one of the most celebrated festivals in some of the states in India. It is a harvest festival and therefore, it is celebrated with color and gaity, as the farmers will have money received from the sale of their crops. The festival is celebrated on 14th of January every year. . Sankranti is the day that marks the transition of the Sun into Capricorn on its celestial path. The day is also believed to mark the arrival of spring in India. Scientifically, this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights. In other words, Sankranti marks the termination of winter season and beginning of a new harvest or spring season.
To Hindus, the Sun stands for knowledge, spiritual light and wisdom. Sankranti signifies that we should turn away from the darkness of delusion in which we live, and begin to enjoy a new life with bright light within us to shine brighter and brighter. We should gradually begin to grow in purity, wisdom and knowledge even as the Sun does from the Day of Sankranti. Apart from a harvest festival, it is also regarded as the beginning of an auspicious phase in Indian culture.
During Sankranti, women make beautiful and ornate drawings and patterns on the ground with chalk or chalk powder, called "muggu" in Telugu in my state, Andhra Pradesh, in front of their homes. These drawings are decorated with flowers, and colours. Youngsters fly very colorful kites during the festival which lasts for three days.
In the olden days, when I was young, women used to sprinkle cowdung mixed water on the ground in front of their houses and draw"Muggulu" on the dried surface. People used to have vast frontyards in those days in towns and villages. But due to passage of time, concrete pavements and diveways replaced the frontyards especially in cities, on which they draw the "Muggulu" now a days as there is no other alternative. Still in villages, these remain to be beautiful. In fact Sankranti is still the festival of villages.
These are few of the pictures of "Muggulu" shot by me with Nikon Coolpix S8200 on the day of Sankranti.
To Hindus, the Sun stands for knowledge, spiritual light and wisdom. Sankranti signifies that we should turn away from the darkness of delusion in which we live, and begin to enjoy a new life with bright light within us to shine brighter and brighter. We should gradually begin to grow in purity, wisdom and knowledge even as the Sun does from the Day of Sankranti. Apart from a harvest festival, it is also regarded as the beginning of an auspicious phase in Indian culture.
During Sankranti, women make beautiful and ornate drawings and patterns on the ground with chalk or chalk powder, called "muggu" in Telugu in my state, Andhra Pradesh, in front of their homes. These drawings are decorated with flowers, and colours. Youngsters fly very colorful kites during the festival which lasts for three days.
In the olden days, when I was young, women used to sprinkle cowdung mixed water on the ground in front of their houses and draw"Muggulu" on the dried surface. People used to have vast frontyards in those days in towns and villages. But due to passage of time, concrete pavements and diveways replaced the frontyards especially in cities, on which they draw the "Muggulu" now a days as there is no other alternative. Still in villages, these remain to be beautiful. In fact Sankranti is still the festival of villages.
These are few of the pictures of "Muggulu" shot by me with Nikon Coolpix S8200 on the day of Sankranti.
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