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14 JANUARY · KITES · MAKAR SANKRANTIUttarayan
Kites over the Charotar — on Uttarayan, the towns and villages of Anand take to their rooftops and fill the winter sky with kites, joining Gujarat's great mid-January festival.
The kite festival in the Charotar
Uttarayan — Makar Sankranti, on 14 January — is celebrated with great enthusiasm across Anand and the Charotar region, as it is throughout Gujarat. On this day, families climb to their rooftops from morning to dusk to fly kites, competing to cut rivals’ strings amid shouts of joy, while the winter sky over the towns and villages fills with colour. The festival marks the sun’s northward journey (uttarayan) and the turn towards longer days, and is one of the most joyful days in the Gujarati calendar. As evening falls, illuminated kites and lanterns (tukkals) rise into the darkness. In the prosperous, close-knit towns of the Charotar — Anand, Vidyanagar, Karamsad, Nadiad nearby — Uttarayan is a great community occasion, bringing families and neighbourhoods together on the terraces. The traditional festival food is undhiyu, the mixed winter-vegetable casserole, eaten with jalebi, along with til (sesame) and chikki sweets. For the visitor, Uttarayan in Anand offers the warmth of a community festival and the spectacle of kite-filled skies — best enjoyed from a rooftop, kite in hand. (A festival on 14 January; rooftop kite-flying across the district; undhiyu and chikki the festival food.)
The day has its own vocabulary: the manja — the glass-coated line that decides duels — prepared or bought days ahead; ‘kai po che!’ roared as a rival’s kite drifts loose; the lagori chases as children run down cut kites through the lanes. The kitchen keeps pace with the sky — undhiyu simmering through the morning, jalebi fetched hot, til chikki and mamra laddus passing hand to hand on the roofs — and the day after, Vasi Uttarayan, extends the whole performance for those unwilling to stop.
Anand, Nadiad and the Charotar towns fly with the best of them, and the region adds its own touch — the towns’ pigeon-and-parakeet rescue groups work the day in parallel, treating birds caught by manja, and visitors are gently reminded to fly with cotton line where possible and stop at dusk when the birds move. Join any rooftop you are invited onto; the invitation always comes.
Uttarayan kite festival. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
The festival of the winter sun
Uttarayan. Wikimedia Commons.
Makar Sankranti marks the sun's turn north on 14 January.
Rooftop kite-flying grew into Gujarat's defining winter custom.
After dark, paper-lantern tukkals rise where the kites flew.
The Charotar's towns keep the day with full enthusiasm.
Why come
Kites
Thousands of kites duel in the winter blue.
Rooftops
Whole families hold the roof from morning to dusk.
Sankranti
The sun's northward turn is the day's ancient meaning.
Tukkals
Lantern-lit skies close the festival after dark.
Undhiyu
Undhiyu, jalebi and chikki fuel the rooftop hours.
Community
Rooftop to rooftop, the whole town shares one game.
What to see
THE KITESUttarayan
Skies of colour over the Charotar.
THE REGIONCharotar
Anand district.
How it's celebrated
Fly kites
From a rooftop.
Join the contests
Cut a rival's kite.
Watch the tukkals
Night-sky lanterns.
Feast on undhiyu
The winter casserole.
Share with neighbours
A community day.
Buy kites
From the markets.
Uttarayan. Wikimedia Commons.
A community kite festival
Uttarayan (Makar Sankranti, 14 January) is celebrated across Anand and the Charotar with rooftop kite-flying from dawn to dusk, marking the sun’s northward turn. Evening brings illuminated tukkal lanterns, and the festival food is undhiyu with jalebi and chikki — a great community occasion in the close-knit Charotar towns. (A festival on 14 January; rooftop kite-flying across the district; undhiyu and chikki the festival food.)
For everything else the district holds, see our Vadodara travel guide.
Celebrated on 14 January (Makar Sankranti)
Rooftop kite-flying across the Charotar
Tukkal lanterns light the night sky
Undhiyu, jalebi and chikki as festival food
Timing
The great kite day.
Markets fill with kites.
Pleasant season.
⏰ 14 January is the main day; the skies are busiest through daylight.
Getting there
By Air
Vadodara / Ahmedabad.
By Rail
Anand Junction.
By Road
On NH; central Gujarat.
More in Anand
WHITE REVOLUTION
The Amul Spirit
A cooperative that empowered millions of farmers. Explore →
LEGACY
Sardar Patel
The Iron Man’s homeland — the Charotar region around Anand, especially Karamsad, shaped Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the statesman who united India, and the area honours his towering legacy. Explore →
CRAFT
Agate Artistry
Ancient stones, skilled hands — Khambhat in Anand district has shaped and polished agate and cornelian into beads and ornaments for thousands of years, a craft of remarkable antiquity and skill. Explore →
FOLK
Bhavai Theatre
Gujarat’s folk stage — Bhavai is the centuries-old folk theatre of the region, a vivid blend of drama, music, dance and biting social satire performed through the night under the open sky. Explore →
What to eat
DAIRYAmul treats
Milk, butter, ice-cream.
THALICharotari Thali
Hearty Gujarati fare.
FARSANFarsan
Snacks & sweets.
CHAASChaas
Spiced buttermilk.
Uttarayan FAQ
When is Uttarayan?
On 14 January — the festival of Makar Sankranti.
How is it celebrated?
With rooftop kite-flying all day, and lanterns at night.
What does it mark?
The sun's northward journey (uttarayan) and longer days.
What food is eaten?
Undhiyu, jalebi, chikki and til (sesame) sweets.
Where to experience it?
From a rooftop in Anand, Vidyanagar or a Charotar town.
Is it a community festival?
Yes — families and neighbourhoods gather on the terraces.
Across Gujarat
WETLANDHathmati & Guhai
Calm dam reservoirs alive with waterbirds
Bhadreshwar Jain Temple
Seaside temple in the old port town
Swaminarayan Temple
A graceful sampraday shrine in Navsari
LAKEAji Dam & Lakes
A scenic reservoir & riverside garden
SACREDGarudeshwar
A Dattatreya shrine on the Narmada
SIDHPURRudra Mahalaya
Ruins of a colossal Shiva temple in Sidhpur
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Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 3 July 2026