Panchang Calculator

The word Panchang means five limbs, and it refers to the five elements calculated for any given day: Tithi (the lunar day), Vara (the weekday), Nakshatra (the lunar mansion the Moon occupies), Yoga (a luni-solar angular combination), and Karana (a half-tithi). Together these five define the character of the day.

Each limb carries its own qualities that make a moment favorable or unfavorable for particular actions. Combining all five, rather than reading any one alone, is what lets the Panchang guide the selection of auspicious timing for ceremonies and important activities.

Rahu Kaal is a recurring inauspicious window of roughly one and a half hours each day that is governed by the shadow planet Rahu. Its timing shifts with the weekday and with local sunrise and sunset, so it falls at a different clock time in each place and on each day.

Tradition advises against beginning new or auspicious undertakings during Rahu Kaal, since work started then is believed to meet obstacles and delays. Ongoing activities and routine tasks are generally considered unaffected, so the caution applies mainly to fresh beginnings.

The Panchang is location specific because its calculations depend on local sunrise, and the day in Hindu reckoning begins at sunrise rather than at midnight. Sunrise varies with latitude and longitude, so the start of the Tithi and the daily periods differs from one city to another.

It is date specific because the Moon and Sun move continuously, so the Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga, and Karana all change from day to day and even within a day. An accurate Panchang therefore requires both the exact date and the precise place.