Mahabishuba Sankranti/ Mesha Sankranti/Odia New Year/Baishakhi/Vaishakhi

Mahabishuba Sankranti/ Mesha Sankranti

  Mahabishuba Sankranti or Mesha Sankranti is also known as Pana Sankranti. Pana Sankranti is a puja observed in Odisha. This day is celebrated as the New Year in Odisha. So this day is called Odia New Year. This day is celebrated as the birth day of  hindu god Hanuman in Odisha. So this day is called Hanuman Jayanti in Odisha. This day is also known as New Year in Punjanb called Baishakhi(or Vaishakhi). This day generally falls on April 13 or 14 every year. This day falls on April 13 only on the leap year.

  There are two types of calendar in Bharatiya Jyotisha Shashtra. That are Chandramana calender and Souramana calendar.The calendar is called Panchangam in Sanskrit, Panjika in Odia, Bengoli and Assamese.

  According to Chandramana calendar Purnima is the first day of the month and last day of the month also because in a cyclic process the first point is the last point also.

  According to Souramana calendar Sankranti is the first day of month.

  Chandramana calendar is calculated by the lunar month that is the one complete revolution of moon around the Earth. Souramana calendar is calculated by the Solar day that is the one complete rotation of Earth around its axis.

  According to Souramana calendar there are twelve month as Mesha,Brusha,Mithuna,Karkata(or Kark),Singha,Kanya,Tula,
Bichha(or Brishchika),Dhanu, Makara, Kumbha and Meena. These are known as Rashi(Astrological Sign) also. Mesha is the  first month of the year and first day of Mesha is known as Mesha Sankranti. Mesha Sankranti is also known as Mahabishuba Sankranti because in this day the Sun light falls directly on the Bishuba Rekha(the Equator) of the earth.

 In Odisha Hanuman Jayanti is observed in the first day of the Solar year (Souramana Barsha) but in other state of India Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated in the last day of the Lunar year (Chandramana Barsha) that is the Chaitra Purnima.

 In Odisha Lunar year starts from Baishakha month and ends on Chaitra month.But according to Hindu Calendar Saka Sambat Chaitra month is the first month of the year. Chaitra Krishna Paksha Pratipada tithi is known as first day of the year generally known as the Hindu New Year. Government of India accepted Saka Sambat as the Government Calendar of India.

 There are other Sambat(Calendar) also.That are Bikram Sambat,Krishna Sambat,Judhishthir Sambat and Kali Sambat. Bikram Sambat is the Calendar of Nepal.