Panchang

✦ Tithi — The Lunar Day

Tithi is the first limb of panchang. It is based on the angular difference between Sun and Moon. One tithi is the time taken by the Moon to move 12° ahead of the Sun. Since the Moon completes 360° in one full lunar cycle (new moon to new moon), there are 30 tithis in one lunar month — 15 in the Shukla (waxing) paksha and 15 in the Krishna (waning) paksha.

In Shukla Paksha, the Moon waxes — from the day after Amavasya (new moon) called Shukla Pratipada, through to Shukla Purnima (full moon). In Krishna Paksha, the Moon wanes — from Krishna Pratipada (the day after Purnima) to Krishna Amavasya. Each tithi lasts between 19 and 26 hours because the Moon's orbit is elliptical and its speed varies.

Tithi determination follows two main methods in India — sunrise-based (most almanacs) and mid-tithi (some regional almanacs). In the sunrise-based method, whichever tithi is in progress at sunrise is considered the principal tithi for that day. We follow this standard in our panchang as it is the most widely accepted.

Practically, certain tithis are considered particularly auspicious — Dvitiya, Tritiya, Panchami, Saptami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Trayodashi, Purnima. Inauspicious or "rikta" tithis are Chaturthi, Navami, Chaturdashi, and Amavasya (in some contexts). Each tithi has its own presiding deity and traditional fruits.

✦ Nakshatra — The Lunar Mansion

Nakshatra is the second limb of panchang and possibly the most ancient Indian astronomical concept. The sky is divided into 27 equal parts of 13°20' each — these are the nakshatras. The Moon traverses each nakshatra in its 27.3-day orbit. The Moon stays in one nakshatra for approximately 24 hours.

Nakshatra classification operates at multiple levels. By nature, there are 7 categories — chara (movable), sthira (fixed), tikshna (sharp), mridu (soft/tender), ugra (fierce), mishra (mixed), and laghu (light). Each category is favorable for specific activities — mridu nakshatras (Rohini, Mrigashira, etc.) for marriage, chara nakshatras (Punarvasu, Swati, etc.) for travel, and ugra nakshatras (Bharani, Magha, etc.) for weapon-crafting.

Gana classification is also important — the 27 nakshatras are divided into three groups of 9: Deva Gana (divine), Manushya Gana (human), and Rakshasa Gana (fierce). This classification is heavily used in kundali matching for marriage — Deva-Rakshasa combination is considered prohibited.

Janma Nakshatra (the nakshatra in which the Moon was placed at birth) indicates a person's nature, career, health, and life path. In naming a newborn, the first letter is chosen based on the janma nakshatra — each nakshatra has 4 padas, and each pada has its own naming letter (108 letters total).

✦ Yoga — Sun-Moon Combination

Yoga is the third limb of panchang. It is based on the sum of the longitudes of Sun and Moon. The two longitudes are added and divided by 13°20' — the result is one of 27 yogas. Each yoga lasts approximately 24 hours, but some are slightly shorter or longer due to variations in planetary speed.

Of the 27 yogas, several are considered auspicious — Siddhi, Brahma, Shiva, Dhruva, Indra, Harshana, Ayushman, Saubhagya, Shobhana, Sukarma, Dhriti, Variyan. Auspicious works are scheduled during these. Some are considered inauspicious — Vyatipata, Vaidhriti, Parigha, Vishkumbha, Atiganda, Shoola, Ganda, Vyaghata, Vajra. Important undertakings during these yogas are avoided.

Vyatipata and Vaidhriti are particularly inauspicious — travel, marriage, or any auspicious work is completely prohibited. However, for shraddha (ancestral rites) and tarpan, these yogas are auspicious because in Vyatipata, deceased ancestors receive special blessings.

✦ Karana — The Half-Tithi

Karana is the fourth limb of panchang. Each tithi is divided into two equal halves — each half is called a karana. Since there are 30 tithis in a lunar month, there are 60 karanas total. However, there are only 11 types of karanas — 7 movable (chara) and 4 fixed (sthira).

The seven movable karanas are: Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija, and Vishti (Bhadra). These repeat 8 times each in a lunar month (56 times total). The four fixed karanas are: Shakuni, Chatushpada, Naga, and Kintughna. These occur only once each per month — at specific moments around the new moon.

Vishti karana (also called Bhadra) is considered extremely inauspicious. No new or auspicious work should begin during it. Bhadra is mentioned even in the Ramayana — Ravana is said to have died during Bhadra Kaal. However, some activities are auspicious in Bhadra — like victory over enemies, war, or fire-related work.

✦ Vaara — The Weekday

Vaara is the fifth limb of panchang. The Hindu week has seven days — each ruled by a planet: Sunday (Sun), Monday (Moon), Tuesday (Mars), Wednesday (Mercury), Thursday (Jupiter), Friday (Venus), and Saturday (Saturn). This seven-day system is extremely ancient — possibly older even than the Babylonian era.

Each vaara has its own nature and use. Monday, ruled by Moon, is good for peaceful and domestic work. Tuesday, ruled by Mars, for warlike and debt-recovery activities. Wednesday, ruled by Mercury, for education and business. Thursday, ruled by Jupiter, for religious work and learning. Friday, ruled by Venus, for art, music, and marriage. Saturday, ruled by Saturn, for iron, agriculture, labor.

Sunday, ruled by Sun, is for government work, statecraft, and leadership. However, certain specific activities like haircuts, cutting toenails, or southward travel are traditionally avoided on Sunday.

✦ Modern Panchang Computation

In modern times, panchang computation is done by computer algorithms — but the principles are the same ancient ones. We use computations based on Jean Meeus's renowned book "Astronomical Algorithms" (Willmann-Bell, 1998). This provides NASA-grade accuracy — sunrise/sunset within ±2 minutes, Moon position within ±0.01°.

For tropical-to-sidereal conversion, we use Lahiri Ayanamsa — the same standard adopted by the Indian Government Calendar Reform Committee in 1955. In 2026, the Lahiri Ayanamsa is approximately 24°15' — that is the difference between the tropical and sidereal Aries.

In our panchang we use 38+ Moon perturbation terms — this is high-precision lunar computation that gives more accurate tithi and nakshatra timings than ordinary almanacs. Dual-tithi situations (when two tithis fall on the same day) are also correctly displayed.

Different almanacs may show slight variations — reasons: choice of ayanamsa (Lahiri/Raman/Krishnamurti), tithi determination time (sunrise/midday), and local time (UT/IST/local). We use the most widely accepted Lahiri + sunrise + local time combination.

✦ Practical Uses of Panchang

Muhurat selection is the primary use of panchang. For marriage, the combination of tithi (Shukla Dvitiya, Tritiya, Panchami, Saptami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Trayodashi), nakshatra (mridu and sthira — Rohini, Mrigashira, Anuradha), yoga (auspicious — Siddhi, Saubhagya), karana (Bava/Balava — not Vishti), and vaara (Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri) is examined.

For griha pravesh, Shukla Paksha tithis (especially Dvitiya, Tritiya, Panchami, Saptami, Dashami, Dvadashi, Trayodashi), special nakshatras (Ashwini, Rohini, Punarvasu, Pushya, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Shravana, Revati), and auspicious vaaras (Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri) are chosen.

Vrat (fasting) determination is the second major use of panchang. Ekadashi (Vishnu vrat), Pradosh (Shiva vrat), Sankashti Chaturthi (Ganesha vrat), Amavasya (ancestral tarpan), Purnima (Satyanarayan vrat) — all are determined by panchang. Adhik Maas (intercalary month, every 2-3 years) is also determined by panchang.

Agricultural work also depends on panchang. For sowing seeds, mridu nakshatras; for irrigation, water nakshatras; for harvesting, fixed nakshatras — traditionally farmers consult the panchang for these activities.

📊5 Angas of Panchang — Comparison Table

All five angas together form a complete panchang — without any one, muhurat is incomplete.

📊Auspicious vs Inauspicious Tithis — Muhurat Selection

📋7-Step Method to Find Muhurat from Panchang

1. 1

   Select your local city

   Sunrise-time in panchang varies city-to-city. Delhi sunrise and Chennai sunrise can differ by 30+ minutes. Local computation available for 200+ cities on our site.

2. 2

   Open panchang for the date

   Select the date for which muhurat is needed on the panchang page. All 5 angas — tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana, vaara — will appear together.

3. 3

   Check tithi auspiciousness

   2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13 auspicious. 4, 8, 9, 14, Amavasya forbidden (work-specific). Purnima universally auspicious.

4. 4

   Check nakshatra

   Nakshatra-class suitable for your work — Marriage: Mrigashira, Rohini, Hasta. Travel: Punarvasu, Swati, Shravan. Griha-pravesh: Rohini, Mrigashira, Uttara-Phalguni, Uttarashadha.

5. 5

   Avoid Rahu-kaal and Durmuhurat

   Daily Rahu-kaal is a 1.5-hour inauspicious period — don't do auspicious work. Also avoid Durmuhurat. Both clearly marked in our panchang.

6. 6

   Check Choghadiya — final selection

   8 choghadiya periods in a day. Shubh, Char, Amrit, Labh — best. Kaal, Rog, Udveg — forbidden. Choose your final muhurat-time from here.

7. 7

   Abhijit-muhurat — universal solution

   Noon 11:50 to 12:38 (48 minutes) — most auspicious time. If no other muhurat available — perform work in Abhijit. Only exception — Abhijit not used on Wednesday.

✦ Frequently Asked Questions