What a Panchang shows
A Panchang (or Panchangam) is the Hindu almanac. Its five limbs are the tithi (lunar day), vara (weekday), nakshatra (the Moon’s star), yoga and karana. The tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana shown here are the ones running at local sunrise, and the page gives the time each one ends. If a new one begins before the next sunrise it is listed as well.
Rahu Kaal, Gulika Kaal and Yamaganda
The daytime from sunrise to sunset is divided into eight equal parts. On each weekday one part is Rahu Kaal, one is Yamaganda and one is Gulika Kaal, and they are traditionally avoided for starting important work, journeys or purchases. Which part it is depends on the weekday; how long it is, and when it falls on the clock, depends on the season and the place, so the times must be worked out for your own city.
| Part of the day (1 to 8) | Sun रवि | Mon सोम | Tue मंगल | Wed बुध | Thu गुरु | Fri शुक्र | Sat शनि |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahu Kaal (राहु काल) | 8 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Yamaganda (यमगण्ड) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Gulika Kaal (गुलिक काल) | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Abhijit Muhurat and Brahma Muhurta
Abhijit Muhurat is the eighth of the fifteen muhurtas of the day, centred on local noon, and is considered favourable for starting work; it is not used on Wednesdays. Brahma Muhurta is the 48-minute period that begins 96 minutes before sunrise, traditionally kept for prayer, study and meditation.
Choghadiya and Hora
Choghadiya divides the day and the night into eight parts each, named Amrit, Shubh, Labh, Char, Rog, Kaal and Udveg. Amrit, Shubh and Labh are favourable, Char is neutral, and Rog, Kaal and Udveg are avoided. The first part of the day depends on the weekday. Hora divides the day and the night into twelve planetary hours each, ruled in turn by the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, beginning with the lord of the weekday.
How this page works
Sunrise and sunset come from the latitude, longitude and time zone of the place you pick, using the same astronomy as the Vikram Samvat calendar. Choghadiya follows the standard tables published by Drik Panchang; some traditions arrange the night Choghadiya differently. Times are given to the minute and can differ by a minute or two between sources. For a puja, wedding or other rite, confirm the muhurat with your priest.
See also the Vikram Samvat calendar, the Hindu festival dates and the nakshatra finder.