IS SANKRANTI HEADING TOWARDS SUMMER?

The correct date of festival Sankranti is 21/22 of December of every year. The present fixation of date is not correct. By following the present procedure the date of Sankranti is being shited by one day in 72 years. Ultimately the festival is heading towards summer, where as it should be in winter.
Sankranti is a seasonal festival and seasons are dependent on the movable zodiac but not on the fixed zodiac which is being followed at present. Taking the date of entry of Sun into the Capricornus sign of the movable zodiac which falls on 21/22 of December of every year is more appropriate. This also tallys with the maximum southern declination of the Sun which is about 23.5 degrees, indicating that the Sun is farthet from the northern latitudes. India comes under northern latitudes.
The difference between the movable zodiac and the fixed zodiac known as ayanamsa is 23 degrees 59' 12" as on 01-01-2009, as taken from Lahiri's Indian Ephemeris for 2009, equivalent to 24 days as Sun moves by about one degree in one day. Accordingly the date of festival Sankranti is shifted by about 24 days from the correct date of Sankranti. The fixed zodaic and the movable zodiac coincided in the year 285 A.D. It will take about 26000 years to coincide again from that year. During this period the date of the festival Sankranti covers all the 365 dates (days) of the year. That means Sankranti falls in all seasons including summer, whereas it should fall in winter (on 21/22 of December). If we follow the date of Sankranti as the date on which the Sun enters the Capricornus sign of the movable zodiac, the date is always as 21/22 of December only for the entire circle of 26000 years, and gets repeated later on also.
Most of the Indian festivals are dependent on fixed stars. On a similar basis, Sankranti was also fixed on the date of entry of Sun into the sign (constellation) Capricornus of the fixed zodiac, where as the seasons are not dependant on the fixed zodiac, but are only dependant on the movable zodiac. That is where the fixation of date of Sankranti has gone wrong. Accordingly the date of festival Sankranti is heading towards Summer at the rate of one day in 72 years. It is high time to save the festival of cool season from heading towards summer.
The festival of Ayyappa Swamy falls on the date of Sankranti. It is only a chance coincidence. The date of entry of Sun into the fixed sign Capricornus of the fixed zodiac is the date of festival of Ayyappa Swamy. That date will remain the same as before even if the date of Sankranti is shifted to December 21/22 of every year. The date of the festival Ayyappa Swamy will be getting shifted by one day in 72 years as usual.
It is high time that the astronomers and scientists of India should make an attempt to get the date of Sankranti shifted to its correct date as on 21/22 of December of every year. To get this date corrected, they have to appraoch the eminent Pitadhipaties such as Shankaracharyas, with whose permission only, the date can be changed.