When is Chandrabhaga Mela in 2004?

On Wednesday, 28 January 2004 in India. Runs from 27 Jan 20:42 IST to 28 Jan 22:27 IST.

Why does the date change every year?

It is kept by the lunar calendar, so its day on the civil calendar moves from year to year.

Is the date the same everywhere?

Yes. It is kept everywhere on the day it falls on in Puri.

Chandrabhaga Mela as it was kept in 2004.

Next date: 13 February 2027

Chandrabhaga Mela 2004

Wednesday, 28 January 2004, in Ahmedabad

FairIndian · Hindu

Magha Saptami Mela

Panchang on the day

January 2004Maha · Vikram 2060 Manmatha

Wednesday

Waxing Seventh

until 22:27

Aries

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લLa
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Sunrise: 07:20
Sunset: 18:25
Moonrise: 11:39
Nakshatra: Ashwini; until 08:43 next day
Yoga: Sadhya; until 00:11 next day
Karana: Gara; until 09:29

Rahu Kalam 12:52 to 14:15
Yamaganda 08:43 to 10:06

Full panchang for 28 January Choghadiya The day, hour by hour

Why this date

Maha Waxing Seventh, taken at sunrise

Runs from 27 Jan 20:42 IST to 28 Jan 22:27 IST.

In short

A sunrise bathe near Konark on Ratha Saptami, at a river that is no longer there.

The story

Chandrabhaga Mela, also known as Magha Saptami bathing pilgrimage, gathers devotees on the coast near Konark's Sun Temple in Odisha. The sacred account tells of Samba, a son of Krishna, suffering from a severe skin disease following a curse. He performs long penance to Surya at the Chandrabhaga site, and the Sun grants restoration of health. This is a Puranic devotional legend explaining the site's sanctity, not evidence that sun worship cures leprosy or other diseases.

Pilgrims assemble overnight or before dawn at the Chandrabhaga river-mouth and beach. On Magha Shukla Saptami they bathe where conditions permit and welcome sunrise with water offerings, prayers and Surya worship. The nearby Konark temple's solar imagery strengthens the association. Over time coastal geography changed, and the present tirtha and beach must be described according to current geography rather than assuming an unchanged ancient river.

The database selects Maha Shukla Saptami at sunrise, which is a useful primary observance date. Odisha Tourism also describes fair activities over a longer seasonal programme, so individual event dates should not be inferred from one tithi. Safety on the beach and medically sound treatment remain essential.

Why it matters

A pilgrimage to a river that has dried, kept exactly as it was. It is one of the clearest cases in India of a rite outliving its geography.

What people do

Early morning coastal bathing where safe, sunrise Surya prayers and offerings near Konark.

Told differently elsewhere

Chandrabhaga beach near Konark, Odisha; Magha Saptami is the main bathing day, other fair dates vary.

Questions people ask

When is Chandrabhaga Mela in 2004?: On Wednesday, 28 January 2004 in India. Runs from 27 Jan 20:42 IST to 28 Jan 22:27 IST.
Why does the date change every year?: It is kept by the lunar calendar, so its day on the civil calendar moves from year to year.
Is the date the same everywhere?: Yes. It is kept everywhere on the day it falls on in Puri.

Dates in the coming years

Last kept25 January 2026