Rathasaptami (रथसप्तमी)

Rathasaptami (रथसप्तमी) is a Hindu festival dedicated to Sun God (Surya/सूर्या).  It is celebrated on the seventh day of Shukla Paksha (bright half or fortnight from new moon to full moon) in the month of Magha (the 11th month of the Hindu calendar).  It is believed that the Sun God changes the direction of his chariot from South-East to North-East (Uttarayan/उत्तरायण).  The process is believed to start on Makara Sankranti and conclude on Rathasaptami.  His chariot is said to be drawn by seven horses representing seven colours of the rainbow with snakes as reins.  The seven horses are named after the seven meters of Sanskrit prosody: Gayatri, Brihati, Ushnih, Jagati, Trishtubha, Anushtubha and Pankti. .  The chariot has 12 wheels representing the 12 signs of the zodiac. It is also believed that the sun shines brightest on Rathasaptami and it is said he alights a new chariot on the day and as his chariot rises in the skies, the days get hotter.  Thus, Uttarayan marks a change of seasons from winter to spring and Rathasaptami marks the start of harvest season.  Sun God is believed to have been born on Rathasaptami to Sage Kashyap and his wife Aaditi. He is also known as Aaditya (son of Aditi).  In 2019, Rathasaptami falls on Tuesday, February 12.

In Hindu mythology, Surya is placed in the center of the Navagraha formation (nine heavenly planets) and considered to be arogyadata and aishwaryadata (provider of health and wealth).  Hence, it is advised that one wakes up at sunrise and performs Suryanamaskara (one form of Yoga) in the open.  It has been scientifically proven that exposing oneself to the early morning sunlight is beneficial to bone health.  It is also widely accepted that Suryanamaskara is one of the best forms of exercise. 

Traditions/Rituals on Rathasaptami

On the day, one is supposed to rise early, purify oneself before sunrise by bathing with seven leaves of Calotropis Gigantea (Arka in Sanskrit, Ekka in Kannada, Rui in Marathi, Madar in Hindi). The seven leaves are to be placed as follows: one on the head, two on shoulders, two on knees, and two on feet.  Rangoli representing Sun God and his chariot is drawn in front of the house.  At sunrise, while facing East, a fire of cowdung cakes is made in the center of the rangoli and milk is boiled on the fire in an earthen pot and allowed to boil over as an offering to Sun God.  In South India, Pongal is cooked and offered to Sun God.

While it took the West persecution of Galileo and many centuries to accept that sun was the center of the solar system and that Pluto was not a planet, Hindu Mythology has believed since the time of Rig Veda that the sun is in the center of the solar system and the navagrahas included 7 planets, sun and the moon; so 7 planets plus planet earth = 8 planets with sun at the center form the solar system. We Indians ought to be proud of our heritage where we can find current scientific discoveries mentioned in our ancient texts.

I have poured in all I know about Rathasaptami and Sun God, but Hinduism is a vast sea of knowledge, traditions and rituals.  So if anyone out there knows something that I have missed, please do share in the comments section.