New Delhi : India welcomed the new harvest in myriad cultural forms of Makar Sankranti, Pongal and Bhogali Bihu while thousands took a holy dip in the Ganga from Haridwar to Ganga Sagar to mark the end of winter by the Indian calendar.

On Makar Sankranti, the day begins with the devout taking dips in holy rivers at places like Haridwar in the north, Ganga Sagar in the east and Prayag in the centre to worship the Sun God.

In Haridwar, millions of Hindus gathered to take the holy dip in Ganga on Jan 14, marking the commencement of Maha Kumbh. The day was tinged with tragedy in West Bengal, where seven pilgrims on their way to Ganga Sagar - the mouth of the Ganga - were killed in a stampede, and nine more were injured.

Thousands make the annual pilgrimage to the mouth of the holy river to bathe on this day considered auspicious, and pray at the temple where Vedic sage Kapil was supposed to have meditated.

Called Makar Sankranti in northern India, the festival is known as Bhogali Bihu in Assam and Pongal in Tamil Nadu. It marks the transition of the Sun into Makar (Capricorn) on its celestial path. In northern India, the day is marked by feasting on traditional preparations of jaggery with til and chidwa (flattened rice), yogurt and khichri (cooked with newly-harvested rice).

"We generally fast during Makar Sankranti and have khichri in the evening," said Delhi homemaker Sushila Sharma. Kite flying is another important ritual that marks the day. In Gujarat, it is celebrated as the start of Uttarayan, when people gather on their terraces to fly kites.