How to Read a Panchang: Tithi, Nakshatra and Muhurat Basics

Before a wedding, a housewarming or even a new business, someone in the family usually says "let us check the panchang". The panchang is the Hindu almanac: a daily record of the sky that tells you which hours are favourable for which kind of work. It looks dense at first, but it rests on just five ideas.

The five limbs of the panchang

1. Tithi, the lunar day

A tithi is the time the Moon takes to move 12 degrees ahead of the Sun. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month, 15 in the waxing fortnight (Shukla paksha, ending at Purnima) and 15 in the waning fortnight (Krishna paksha, ending at Amavasya). Because tithis are measured by the Moon, they are not all the same length, and a tithi can begin or end at any hour of the day. Festivals like Ekadashi, Chaturthi and Pradosh are all tithis.

2. Vara, the weekday

Each weekday is linked to a graha: Sunday to the Sun, Monday to the Moon, Tuesday to Mars, Wednesday to Mercury, Thursday to Jupiter, Friday to Venus and Saturday to Saturn. Families often choose a day by its deity, for example Thursday for Vishnu and Guru, or Saturday for Shani.

3. Nakshatra, the lunar mansion

The sky is divided into 27 nakshatras, each about 13 degrees 20 minutes wide. The nakshatra the Moon is in on a given day colours the quality of that day. Some, like Pushya and Rohini, are widely considered favourable for beginnings. You can read more in our guides to Pushya Nakshatra and Rohini Nakshatra.

4. Yoga

Yoga is calculated from the combined movement of the Sun and the Moon. There are 27 yogas, such as Siddhi, Amrita and Shubha (generally favourable) and Vyaghata or Vaidhriti (generally avoided for new work).

5. Karana

A karana is half a tithi. There are 11 karanas, seven that repeat and four that occur once in a month. Vishti, also called Bhadra, is the karana most people avoid for auspicious work.

Reading a daily entry

A typical entry lists the tithi with its start and end time, the nakshatra, yoga and karana, sunrise and sunset, moonrise, and a few time windows to use or avoid. When you read it, look for these in order:

1. The date and city the panchang was prepared for.
2. The tithi that is running at sunrise, and when it changes.
3. The nakshatra and yoga for the time you have in mind, not just for the day.
4. The inauspicious windows that overlap your chosen time.

Time windows people check

• Rahu Kaal: about 90 minutes each day, avoided for starting new work or travel. It is one eighth of the daytime and moves with the weekday. If daytime is taken as 6 am to 6 pm, it falls on Monday 7:30 to 9:00, Tuesday 3:00 to 4:30, Wednesday 12:00 to 1:30, Thursday 1:30 to 3:00, Friday 10:30 to 12:00, Saturday 9:00 to 10:30 and Sunday 4:30 to 6:00. Real timings shift with local sunrise, so use your city's panchang.
• Abhijit Muhurat: a window of roughly 48 minutes around local midday, regarded as favourable for many tasks.
• Choghadiya: the day divided into eight parts, each labelled as good (Amrit, Shubh, Labh) or to be avoided (Rog, Kaal, Udveg). Popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Why the date can differ by city

The Hindu day begins at sunrise, and sunrise is different in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Toronto. A tithi that ends at 6:10 am in one city may end at 5:50 am in another, which can move a festival to a different date. Regional calendars also differ: the Amanta system ends the month on Amavasya, the Purnimanta system on Purnima, and some regions follow solar calendars. That is why two correct panchangs can name different dates for the same festival.

Choosing a muhurat in practice

For a ceremony such as Griha Pravesh or a wedding, a pandit typically looks for a favourable tithi, vara and nakshatra, a suitable lagna (the rising sign at that hour), and the absence of inauspicious periods. For a birth chart based muhurat, the family's own planetary positions are also considered. If you are unsure, a short consultation with an Āchārya can save a lot of guesswork.

Frequently asked questions

Which panchang should I trust?

Use one prepared for your city and tradition, ideally by a pandit or a recognised almanac. When two sources disagree, follow the one your family or your pandit uses.

Do I need to check the panchang for small tasks?

Not necessarily. Most people check it for weddings, housewarmings, naming ceremonies, major purchases and festival fasts. For everyday life, avoiding Rahu Kaal is the common habit.

Is an app panchang enough?

For fasts and festival dates, a good app is usually fine. For a wedding or Griha Pravesh, have your pandit confirm the muhurat for your exact location.