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6 Min
06/01/2026
January sees many harvest festivals celebrated across India — Lohri in Punjab, Suggi in Karnataka, Magh Bihu in Assam, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, and Uttarayana or Makar Sakranti in Gujarat. Whatever the name, the celebration is the same – a harvest festival marking the end of winter (or at least the start of the transition to summer). And when it comes to festivities, especially for Makar Sakranti, two particular ingredients dominate.
With Makar Sankranti 2026 just around the corner, numerous kitchens around India will use the seasonal jaggery and sesame seeds to craft festive delicacies. The ingredients might be simple and minimal, but they pack a punch and are oh-so sweet. From small laddoos and stuffed crepes to chikkis and more, many sweets take over the festive dinner spread — but jaggery and sesame seed remain consistent. Many of these sweet treats are even offered as prasad (holy offering) first, and only then are they consumed by people and shared.
In Bengali homes, celebrating Poush Sankranti is an occasion to go all out and use the beloved nolen gur (date palm jaggery) in different sweets. Patishapta is one such creation. It is a folded crepe with a sweet filling (of mawa, coconut and jaggery). The crepe batter is primarily made of rice flour. Semolina might be added too, but after being soaked for hours. Soft and sweet, it’s not incredibly easy to make, as it requires a gentle rolling of the crepe to cook.
Til gul comes in two distinct forms across Western India - til ladoo and til papdi.
Maharashtra usually likes theirs shaped into small laddoos, made with roasted sesame with melted jaggery. The sesame is dry-roasted until it pops and releases its nutty aroma, then quickly mixed with jaggery that's been melted to a soft-ball consistency. What's special about the Maharashtrian approach is the ritual of exchanging these laddoos with loved ones and even strangers. According to beliefs, sesame seeds were blessed by Yama, the God of Death, and could grant immortality. Others believe the seeds formed from drops of Vishnu's sweat, containing divine essence.
This is the other form of the til gul, and you will witness these flattish, chikki-like treats in Gujarati households. The name ‘papdi’ means thin, and that's where the challenge lies. Sesame seeds are roasted until golden and aromatic, then sugar (rather than jaggery, unlike most other til sweets) is melted, and the moment the sugar reaches the right stage, sesame seeds are added, mixed quickly, and the mixture is immediately transferred to a greased surface and rolled paper-thin before it hardens.
While most festive sweets require cooking, Odisha breaks the mould with Makara Chaula, a dish so integral to Odia Sankranti that it's the first offering made to Lord Jagannath at the famous Puri temple. It’s made with pre-soaked, roughly ground rice, milk, fresh coconut, jaggery, cottage cheese and fruits like pomegranate, apple, and banana. The spices include black pepper and ginger with sugarcane pieces. It's semi-liquid, almost porridge-like, which celebrates the local harvest, making makara chaula a celebration and a nutritious start to the festival in one bowl.
Also known as Lai ke Laddoo, Mamra Laddu, Mua or Pori Urundai, depending on the region, these puffed rice balls represent the lightest sweet among the rest. To make murmura laddoo, puffed rice is dry-roasted for a few minutes, while jaggery is melted with ghee until it is pliable. The roasted puffed rice is quickly mixed into the molten jaggery, then shaped into balls while still warm. The craziest part of this laddoo is that it is sweet and oh-so crunchy even though it is bound with jaggery. These laddoos are particularly popular in Biharand Assam, where they're part of Magh Bihu celebrations.
While the til gul laddoos get most attention, gul poli (also called til gul poli) deserves its moment in the spotlight. The stuffing is made with sesame seeds, roasted until they pop and turn golden, then besan (gram flour) is roasted in ghee until it releases a nutty aroma and turns a light brown. These are combined with jaggery, desiccated coconut, and sometimes roasted peanuts, all ground into a coarse mixture. The dough is made from whole wheat flour, with hot oil and kneaded until soft. Then the polis are rolled and stuffed with generous amounts of filling.
In Tamil Nadu, where sesame oil is called ‘good oil’ (nalla ennai), ellu urundai holds a special place during Pongal and Karthigai Deepam. The traditional way involves soaking black or white sesame seeds overnight and roasting the soaked, dried seeds until they pop and release an aroma. The roasted sesame is then ground with jaggery and cardamom, with it retaining some coarseness. It’s an iron-rich sweet that is also enjoyed on its own as a snack, and also helps in lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease.
Til and gur form the backbone of the Makar Sankranti celebrations with laddoos, chikkis and more. What’s so mesmerising about this time is the aroma that fills the kitchens and brings forth the scent of nostalgia – nutty, sweet, and comforting. These scents and flavours go beyond food and evoke a sense of continuity passed down through generations. Simple yet meaningful, til and gur capture the spirit of the festival, celebrating warmth, abundance, and the joy of sharing sweetness as the season changes.
