🪔 Puja vidhi

🌾 Baisakhi / Vishu / Bihu / Puthandu (Mesha Sankranti — the solar new year) Puja Vidhi — step by step

✍️ Jyotishacharya Aditya Dhar Dwivedi · 🔎 Last reviewed: 17 September 2026 · 🧮 Calculation method

This is the household vidhi of the solar new year — the shared elements of all states first (bath-Sun-new grain-charity), then the own customs of Baisakhi/Vishu/Bihu/Puthandu/Pohela Boishakh/Satuani.

How to do Baisakhi / Vishu / Bihu / Puthandu (Mesha Sankranti — the solar new year) — the steps

Shared: bathe in the Brahma muhurat/at sunrise (a river — Ganga-Haridwar, Brahmaputra, Kaveri, Mahanadi — or Gangajal at home), the Sun arghya (water-red flowers-akshat, 'Om Ghrini Suryaya Namah'), new/clean clothes; worship of the family deity/Vishnu-Surya in the home temple, installing the new panchang/calendar (hearing the panchang — reading the year's forecast); water for the ancestors; charity — sattu, water pots, fans, umbrellas, jaggery, gram (the charity for the start of summer), grain-clothes.
Baisakhi (Punjab-Haryana-Delhi): the gurdwara in the morning — kirtan, ardas, langar (Khalsa Sirjana Divas — changing the Nishan Sahib, nagar kirtan); the first sheaf of the cut crop in the fields, 'Jatta aai Baisakhi' — bhangra-giddha, dhol, fairs (Talwandi Sabo, Anandpur); kheer, karah prasad and yellow sweet rice at home, sarson ka saag-makki (the last of the season), lassi; Hindu families Sun worship, the Ganga bath, the new wheat of the harvest offered to God.
Vishu (Kerala): the Vishukkani set up the previous night — raw rice, konna flowers (kanikkonna — laburnum), cucumber-jackfruit-mango-banana, gold jewellery, coins, a mirror (valkannadi), new cloth, a scripture, the nilavilakku in an uruli (brass vessel) — before the idol of Krishna/Guruvayurappan; in the morning the eldest woman of the house sees the kani first, then brings each person with eyes closed before the kani (the first sight); kaineettam — elders give the young coins; the Vishu sadya (Vishukkatta, manga pachadi — six tastes), crackers (Vishuppadakkam), a share of the kani for cows and birds; the Vishukkani darshan at Sabarimala-Guruvayur.
Bohag/Rongali Bihu (Assam): on the Chaitra Sankranti (13 April — Bihu 1) 'Goru Bihu' — bathing the cows and bullocks in the river, with turmeric, urad, bottle gourd and brinjal, new ropes, the song 'Lau kha, bengena kha…'; on Mesha Sankranti (14 — Bihu 2) 'Manuh Bihu' — a bath, new clothes, the gamosa and pranam for elders (bihuwan), pitha (sesame-coconut), laru, curd-chira; the third 'Gosain Bihu' — the household deity, the namghar; seven days of the Bihu dance (dhol-pepa-gagana), husori (songs and blessings from house to house), Mukoli Bihu; the Bihu stage.
Puthandu (Tamil Nadu): the 'kani' the previous night — fruit (mango-jackfruit-banana), flowers, betel nut, gold and silver, a mirror, the new panchang on a tray; in the morning the kani darshan, bath, temple, 'panchanga padanam' (hearing the year's forecast), manga pachadi (raw mango-neem-jaggery-chilli-salt-tamarind — six tastes = the six flavours of life), vadai-payasam, the Chithirai Thiruvizha begins at Madurai Meenakshi; the Tamil new year 'Iniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal'.
Pohela Boishakh (Bengal-Tripura-Bangladesh): the prabhat pheri in the morning (Rabindra sangeet 'Esho he Boishakh'), new clothes (the red-and-white sari), Lakshmi-Ganesha puja and the **halkhata** — merchants open new account books (swastika-sindoor), sweets and calendars for customers; payesh-luchi-mishti at home, Kalighat-Dakshineswar; the Mangal Shobhajatra (Dhaka) and panta-ilish in Bangladesh; 'Shubho Noboborsho'.
Pana/Maha Vishuva Sankranti (Odisha): making 'pana' (a drink of bel-curd-jaggery-milk-banana) and hanging a pot on the Tulsi chaura (basundhara theki — water drop by drop to the plant — in the heat), the gift of chhatua (sattu), Hanuman Jayanti (on this day in Odisha), the Jhamu Yatra (fire walk), the Odia new year; Satuani/Jur Sital (Bihar-Mithila-Nepal Terai): sattu-jaggery-mango chutney-tikora, on 'Jur Sital' elders sprinkle stale water on the children's heads (the blessing of coolness), water for trees and plants, plastering the house; the New Year (Baisakh 1) in Nepal — the Bisket Jatra of Bhaktapur, bath and charity.
Uttarakhand-Himachal-Kashmir: Bikhauti (Uttarakhand — fairs, the Ganga-Alaknanda bath, new grain), Bishu/Baisakhi (Himachal — deity fairs), Navreh (Kashmiri Pandits — in Chaitra, separate from the solar); in Telugu-Kannada Ugadi is on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (lunar) — not this page; everywhere the new grain of sattu-water-mango.

Puja samagri checklist

The items of bath-Sun-charity + the uruli of the Vishukkani + the gamosa-pitha of Bihu + the karah of Baisakhi — the list by state.

Shared: Gangajal, the pot for the Sun arghya, red flowers-akshat, the new panchang/calendar, new clothes, charity — sattu, water pots (clay), fans, umbrellas, jaggery-gram, grain
Baisakhi: karah prasad (flour-ghee-sugar), yellow rice (saffron), kheer, lassi, the new wheat of the harvest; gurdwara seva; bhangra-dhol
Vishukkani: uruli/brass tray, raw rice, konna (laburnum) flowers, cucumber-jackfruit-mango-banana-coconut, gold (jewellery), coins, a mirror (valkannadi), a new mundu/kasavu, a scripture, nilavilakku, the Krishna idol; coins for kaineettam; crackers; sadya items, manga pachadi (mango-jaggery-neem-chilli)
Bihu: gamosa (the woven red-and-white towel — for elders/guests), pitha (til pitha, coconut pitha, ghila), laru (coconut-sesame laddoos), curd-chira-jaggery, turmeric-urad-bottle gourd-brinjal-new ropes for the cows (Goru Bihu), dhol-pepa-gagana-taal, mekhela chador
Puthandu: the kani tray (fruit-flowers-betel nut-gold-mirror-panchang), manga pachadi (raw mango, neem flowers, jaggery, chilli, salt, tamarind), vadai, payasam, the new panchang
Pohela Boishakh: the new account book (halkhata — red cloth), swastika-sindoor, Lakshmi-Ganesha, sweets and calendars (for customers), payesh-luchi, the red-and-white sari
Pana Sankranti/Satuani: bel-curd-jaggery-milk-banana (pana), a clay pot (basundhara theki — on the Tulsi), chhatua/sattu, mango-tikora-chutney, jaggery; the stale water of Jur Sital

🛍 Puja samagri

Karah and yellow rice, the Vishu sadya and manga pachadi, Bihu pitha-laru, pana-sattu, panta-ilish — the thalis of the solar new year

The 'new grain' of every state on Mesha Sankranti — the karah-kheer of new wheat in Punjab, the Vishu sadya and manga pachadi in Kerala (six tastes — all the flavours of life), pitha-laru-curd-chira in Assam, the Puthandu sadya in Tamil Nadu, payesh-luchi in Bengal, pana-chhatua in Odisha, sattu-mango in Bihar-Nepal; the start of summer — cool, raw things of sattu, curd and bel.

Baisakhi: karah prasad (equal flour, ghee and sugar), yellow sweet rice (saffron-raisins), kheer, chole-bhature/poori, lassi, sarson saag (the last), roti of new wheat with jaggery
Vishu: Vishukkatta (a steamed dish of rice, coconut and milk — the first dish), manga pachadi/veppampoo pachadi (raw mango-neem-jaggery-chilli — six tastes), the Vishu sadya (parippu-sambar-avial-thoran-kalan-erissery-payasam), jackfruit and mango dishes (chakka pradhaman), pappadam-banana
Bihu: pitha — til pitha (sesame-jaggery in a rice-flour roll), coconut pitha, ghila pitha, sunga pitha (in bamboo); laru (coconut/sesame laddoos), curd-chira-jaggery, puffed rice, bora rice, masor tenga (fish — some homes), the Bihu feast
Puthandu: manga pachadi (raw mango + neem flowers + jaggery + chilli + salt + tamarind — sweet-bitter-sour-hot-salty-astringent), vadai, payasam, poli, rice-sambar-rasam-avial; jackfruit-mango
Pohela Boishakh: payesh, luchi-alur dom, sandesh-rasgulla-mishti doi, fish (the festive feast in Bengal), panta bhaat (stale rice in water) + ilish + bharta in Bangladesh
Pana Sankranti/Satuani/Jur Sital: pana (bel-curd-jaggery-milk-banana-black pepper), chhatua/sattu (barley-gram — with jaggery/salt-onion), mango chutney-tikora, stale rice with curd (Jur Sital — stale food for coolness), kheer; Nepal: sel roti, curd-chiura

Rules — do's and don'ts

✅ Do

A river/home bath on the Sankranti day, the Sun arghya, the new panchang, new clothes; blessings from elders (kaineettam/gamosa/shagun)
The new grain first to God and the ancestors — wheat/sattu/rice; the charity of summer — sattu, water pots, fans, umbrellas
Your state's custom — the Vishukkani first thing at dawn, cow worship on Goru Bihu, Lakshmi-Ganesha on the halkhata, the pana theki on the Tulsi
Gurdwara/temple seva, food for the poor at the langar/sadya; the family in the Bihu-bhangra dance
Honour the harvest and the farmer — gratitude for the new crop

❌ Don't

No quarrels, lies or lending and borrowing around the Sankranti moment (the punya kaal) (folk belief); no seeing anything else before the kani on Vishu
No unsafe conduct or intoxicants with crackers (Vishu) and at dance fairs; no distress to cows and bullocks (on Bihu they are honoured)
No stale food or meat on the puja thali (the festive feast is separate); no disrespect to the panchang/calendar
Do not confuse Mesha Sankranti with the 'lunar new year' (Ugadi/Gudi Padwa/Nava Samvatsara) — those are of Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, this is solar
Do not forget the charity in the heat — sattu, water pots, umbrellas are this day's main merit

Vrat katha

Baisakhi 1699: Guru Gobind Singh called an assembly at Anandpur Sahib and, sword in hand, said 'I need a head' — five came forward one by one (Daya Ram, Dharam Das, Himmat Rai, Mohkam Chand, Sahib Chand) — they returned … Read the full katha →

Frequently asked questions

When is Baisakhi/Vishu/Bihu in {Y} — 13 or 14 April?

This year's Mesha Sankranti date is above — if the moment of the Sun's entry into Aries is after sunset the festival is the next day (usually 14 April; sometimes 13); Baisakhi-Vishu-Puthandu-Pohela Boishakh-Pana Sankranti are on the same day; the Goru Bihu of Bohag Bihu a day earlier (the Chaitra Sankranti) and Manuh Bihu on Mesha Sankranti; Jur Sital the day after Satuani; match your state's panchang.

What is the link between Baisakhi and the Khalsa?

On the Baisakhi of 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave amrit to the Panj Pyare at Anandpur Sahib and founded the Khalsa Panth — hence for Sikhs Baisakhi is Khalsa Sirjana Divas (Vaisakh 1 in the Nanakshahi calendar); nagar kirtan, akhand path and langar at the gurdwaras; along with it the farmers' festival of the rabi harvest — both on one day.

What is the Vishukkani and how to set it up?

'Kani' = the year's first sight — seeing auspicious things the moment one opens one's eyes on Vishu dawn so that the year is auspicious; at night in an uruli (brass vessel) raw rice, the yellow flowers of the konna (laburnum), cucumber-jackfruit-mango-banana-coconut, gold jewellery, coins, a mirror (in which the kani and one's own face), new cloth, a scripture, a lit nilavilakku — before the idol of Krishna/Guruvayurappan; at dawn the eldest woman of the house sees it first, then brings everyone with eyes closed; then kaineettam (coins).

What are the seven days of Bihu?

Bohag/Rongali Bihu: 1 Goru Bihu (the Chaitra Sankranti — bathing and worshipping cows and bullocks), 2 Manuh Bihu (Mesha Sankranti — the new year, bath, new clothes, gamosa-pranam, pitha), 3 Gosain Bihu (the household deity/namghar), 4 Tator Bihu (the loom and cloth), 5 Nangolor Bihu (the plough and tools), 6 Gharosia Jibar Bihu (domestic animals), 7 Chera Bihu (the close) — the order and names vary by region; the Bihu dance and husori through all seven days.

Why six tastes in the manga pachadi?

In the pachadi of the Tamil Puthandu and Kerala Vishu — raw mango (sour), neem flowers (bitter), jaggery (sweet), chilli (hot), salt (salty), tamarind/raw banana (astringent) — six tastes = the acceptance of all of life's joys and sorrows; in the first mouthful of the new year — the Ugadi pachadi (Telugu-Kannada) carries the same spirit (neem-jaggery).

What is the halkhata?

The new account book of Bengal's merchants on Pohela Boishakh (the 'halkhata' bound in red cloth) — the first page with swastika-sindoor along with the Lakshmi-Ganesha puja, the old dues closed, customers invited to the shop for sweets and calendars; the account-book puja at Kalighat-Dakshineswar; the Bengali form of the Diwali chopda puja of north India.

🏠 Baisakhi / Vishu / Bihu / Puthandu (Mesha Sankranti — the solar new year) 2026 — date, muhurat, full page · All vrat & festivals