Choghadiya Today

How to see today’s choghadiya

Pick your city above and you will instantly see that city’s eight day choghadiya (sunrise to sunset) and eight night choghadiya (sunset to the next sunrise), each with its start and end time. To use it, simply look at the choghadiya running at the hour you plan to act — if it is Amrit, Shubh or Labh the time is auspicious; if it is Udveg, Rog or Kaal, shift a little earlier or later into a good window. This is the great convenience of choghadiya: anyone can find a good time for the day themselves, without a full horoscope or a pandit.

Because choghadiya is built from your city’s real sunrise and sunset, the same clock time carries a different choghadiya in different cities and on different days. That is why Panchang Daily computes it for each city individually rather than reading from a generic printed table.

What is choghadiya?

The word choghadiya comes from chau-ghadi, “four ghadis”. In traditional Indian timekeeping a ghadi is about 24 minutes, so four ghadis is roughly 96 minutes — about an hour and a half, the length of one choghadiya. It is the most popular everyday method in muhurat-shastra because it is simple and easy to remember. While major events such as a wedding or a housewarming are timed by studying the tithi, nakshatra, yoga and the family horoscopes, for everyday actions — travel, shopping, opening a shop, bringing home a new purchase, an important meeting — most people simply check the choghadiya.

The eightfold division of day and night

To compute choghadiya, the day (sunrise to sunset) is divided into eight equal parts and the night (sunset to next sunrise) into eight more — sixteen choghadiya in all. Note that each part is not exactly 90 minutes: it depends on the length of the day. In summer, when days are long, the day choghadiya are longer and the night ones shorter; in winter the reverse. This is why the exact timings must be read for your city and date, and why “about 90 minutes” is only an average — the true length shifts through the year.

The seven choghadiya and their nature

The sixteen slots each carry one of seven names, and every name has a ruling planet and a character:

Amrit (ruler: Moon) — most auspicious

Amrit means “nectar”. It is the most auspicious choghadiya and is considered excellent for any important undertaking — marriage talks, signing, a major purchase, starting medicine, travel. If Amrit is available during the day, most auspicious work is best done in it.

Shubh (ruler: Jupiter) — auspicious

Shubh is especially good for ceremonies, worship, marriage, housewarming and beginning education — the auspicious and religious tasks. With Jupiter’s blessing it favours anything connected to learning and sanskaras.

Labh (ruler: Mercury) — auspicious

Labh means “gain”. It is ideal for starting a business, opening a shop, investing, interviews and learning a new skill. For anything to do with money and enterprise, choose Labh or Amrit.

Char (ruler: Venus) — neutral (good for travel)

Char means “moving” or “movable”. It is neutral overall (neither strongly auspicious nor inauspicious) but is specifically recommended for travel and movable activities. If you are setting out on a journey, Char is considered favourable.

Udveg (ruler: Sun) — avoided

Udveg means “anxiety”. It is avoided for starting new auspicious work because it is linked with restlessness and obstacles. However, it is considered tolerable for government work and unavoidable routine tasks.

Rog (ruler: Mars) — avoided

Rog means “illness”. It is avoided for anything important and is associated with conflict, disputes and health setbacks. Some traditions consider it suitable only for aggressive acts such as confronting an enemy or litigation.

Kaal (ruler: Saturn) — avoided

Kaal is inauspicious and best avoided for starting anything of value. A few traditions accept it for certain wealth-accumulation tasks, but generally it is avoided.

Read a fuller account of each choghadiya — mythology, planetary character and use — on our seven choghadiya reference page.

At a glance: which choghadiya is what

How the sequence changes by weekday

The choghadiya run in a fixed cycle, but each weekday begins on a different choghadiya — which is why the same clock time carries a different choghadiya each day. Below are the first day and first night choghadiya for each weekday:

After the first, the sequence advances through the same cycle — Udveg, Char, Labh, Amrit, Kaal, Shubh, Rog — repeating until the eight slots are filled.

How to work out choghadiya yourself (with an example)

Suppose on a Monday the sunrise is 6:00 am and sunset is 6:00 pm. The day is 12 hours, or 720 minutes; divided by eight, each day choghadiya is 90 minutes. Monday’s first day choghadiya is Amrit, so the sequence becomes:

• 6:00–7:30 — Amrit (auspicious)
• 7:30–9:00 — Kaal (avoid)
• 9:00–10:30 — Shubh (auspicious)
• 10:30–12:00 — Rog (avoid)
• 12:00–1:30 — Udveg (avoid)
• 1:30–3:00 — Char (neutral)
• 3:00–4:30 — Labh (auspicious)
• 4:30–6:00 — Amrit (auspicious)

In this example, shopping or business on Monday would be best at 3:00–4:30 (Labh) or 6:00–7:30 am (Amrit), while 10:30 to 1:30 (Rog and Udveg) is best avoided. In real life the sunrise and sunset change by city and day, so it is best to read your city’s exact choghadiya above.

Which choghadiya for which task

• Marriage, engagement, auspicious rites: Amrit or Shubh
• Housewarming, puja, havan: Shubh or Amrit (and the Abhijit Muhurat)
• Starting a business, shop opening, investment: Labh or Amrit
• Job interview, new contract, signing: Amrit, Shubh or Labh
• Travel: Char (also Amrit, Shubh, Labh)
• Buying a vehicle, gold or property: Labh or Amrit; better still on a Pushya nakshatra day
• Beginning study or a new art: Shubh or Labh
• Starting medicine or treatment: Amrit
• Routine or unavoidable work: Udveg is tolerable; avoid Rog and Kaal

Day vs night choghadiya

The day choghadiya are for daytime activities, and the night choghadiya for evening and night work — a night journey, some wedding rituals, or a late-evening ceremony. Each has its own eightfold sequence, so always read the correct set (day or night) for the time you plan to act. A common mistake is to read the day choghadiya for a night activity.

Read Rahu Kaal and Abhijit alongside choghadiya

Choghadiya alone is not the whole picture — even within a good choghadiya it is wise to avoid the day’s Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika. Conversely, the Abhijit Muhurat around midday is auspicious for almost any task (except on Wednesdays by some traditions). In short: choose a good choghadiya, take advantage of Abhijit, and avoid Rahu Kaal. To plan another date, our muhurat planner shows all of this together.

Common mistakes

The first mistake is mixing up the day and night choghadiya. The second is treating a fixed clock time (say “9 am”) as always auspicious, when choghadiya shifts by weekday and city. The third is checking only the choghadiya and ignoring Rahu Kaal. The fourth is relying on choghadiya alone for major sanskaras (marriage, griha pravesh); those also require the tithi, nakshatra and horoscope, so confirm the final muhurat with a qualified pandit.

See your city’s choghadiya now

Type your city into the search box above to see all of today’s day and night choghadiya with exact timings. For more depth, see the seven choghadiya reference, the weekday pages for how the day’s ruler affects timing, and the complete panchang guide for the fundamentals.

Choghadiya vs Hora (planetary hours)

People often confuse choghadiya with the hora, but they are two different systems. In the hora system the 24 hours of day and night are divided into 24 horas of about one hour each, every hora ruled by one of the seven planets (in the order Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars). The Jupiter and Moon horas are considered good for wealth and auspicious work, and the Mercury hora for study and trade. Choghadiya is eightfold and easy to remember; the hora is hour-based and more granular. For daily use most people read the choghadiya, while some also consult the hora for specific tasks.

The tradition and sources of choghadiya

Choghadiya comes from the practical branch of muhurta-shastra, whose aim is to make celestial time useful in everyday life. Classical texts (in the tradition of works such as the Muhurta Chintamani) discuss the division of the day into auspicious and inauspicious periods in detail. Choghadiya is the simplified, popular form of this — which is why it is a household practice across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and North India. It belongs to the timing (muhurat) side of Jyotish, not the “prediction” side.

Regional practice

In Gujarat and Rajasthan the trading community pays particular attention to the Labh and Amrit choghadiya for a new shop, opening account books or a deal. In Maharashtra it is consulted for travel and auspicious rites. In South India there is more emphasis on Rahu Kalam and Gulika Kalam than on choghadiya, but the principle is the same. Whatever the region, the core rule is identical everywhere: Amrit, Shubh and Labh are auspicious and Udveg, Rog and Kaal are avoided.

Choghadiya for common real-life scenarios

Bringing home a new vehicle: choose Labh or Amrit; even better on a Pushya nakshatra day or on Akshaya Tritiya/Dhanteras. Starting medicine or treatment: Amrit is best. Signing property papers: Amrit, Shubh or Labh, and avoid Rahu Kaal. A child starting school or studies: Shubh or Labh, better still on a Thursday. First day of a new job or an interview: Amrit, Shubh or Labh; the Abhijit Muhurat is also safe. Home decor or bringing a new item home: Labh or Amrit. In all of these, remember the pattern — choose an auspicious choghadiya, avoid Rahu Kaal, and when in doubt take the midday Abhijit Muhurat.

Reading the whole day: a night example

Just as there are eight day choghadiya, there are eight night choghadiya from sunset to the next sunrise, consulted for night travel or late-evening work. Suppose sunset on a Monday is 6:00 pm — Monday’s first night choghadiya is Char, so the sequence runs Char, Labh, Amrit, Kaal, Shubh, Rog, Udveg, Char (roughly every 90 minutes, scaled to the night’s length). For a night journey the Char or Amrit slot would be best. Selecting your city above shows both the day and night slots with exact times.

Quick checklist

• Read the choghadiya for your city and today (don’t rely on a generic table)
• Identify the choghadiya running at the time of your task
• Amrit/Shubh/Labh = go ahead; Udveg/Rog/Kaal = wait for a good slot
• Char is also good for travel
• Avoid Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda, Gulika; take advantage of the Abhijit Muhurat
• For major sanskaras also check tithi–nakshatra–horoscope and confirm with a pandit