Sun enters Libra; Garbhana Sankranti in Odisha and Kaveri Sankramana in Coorg

Tula Sankranti marks the Sun's transit into Tula rashi (Libra) and the start of the solar month of Tula, called Aippasi in Tamil Nadu and Thulam in Kerala. In Odisha it is celebrated as Garbhana Sankranti, when the paddy crop begins to bear grain and the fields are said to be pregnant; farmers offer paddy, lentils and wheat to Goddess Lakshmi and pray for a full harvest, and in some villages a basket of new rice is placed before her. In Kodagu (Coorg), Karnataka, the day is Kaveri Sankramana, when the river Kaveri is believed to spring up at her source at Talakaveri as a sudden welling of the sacred tank (Tirthodbhava); thousands gather to witness it and carry the water home. Through the month of Tula, bathing in the Kaveri — especially at Mayiladuthurai — is held to be as purifying as bathing in the Ganga. As with every sankranti, the punya kaal around the transit is sacred for holy bathing, charity and offering tarpan to the ancestors. Libra is the sign of balance, and its ruler Venus makes the month auspicious for harmony in relationships and for artistic pursuits.

No fast is prescribed; a satvik diet is kept on the day.