The Complete Guide to the Panchang
The Panchang (Hindu almanac) is built from five elements — Tithi, Vaar, Nakshatra, Yoga and Karana — plus auspicious/inauspicious periods like Choghadiya, Rahu Kaal and Abhijit Muhurat. This guide explains each and how they are calculated.
Tithi — the lunar day
A tithi is the time it takes the Moon to gain 12° on the Sun. Thirty tithis make a lunar month, split into the waxing Shukla Paksha and waning Krishna Paksha. Because a tithi can start and end at any clock time, the panchang uses the tithi prevailing at sunrise.
Nakshatra — the lunar mansion
The ecliptic is divided into 27 nakshatras. The Moon spends roughly a day in each. The ruling nakshatra shapes muhurat (auspicious timing) choices and many rituals.
Yoga & Karana
Yoga (27 in number) is derived from the combined longitudes of the Sun and Moon; Karana is half a tithi (11 karanas repeat through the month). Both feed into daily auspiciousness.
Choghadiya
Choghadiya divides day and night into eight ~90-minute parts each. Amrit, Shubh and Labh are auspicious; Char is neutral (good for travel); Udveg, Kaal and Rog are avoided. See choghadiya today.
Rahu Kaal
Rahu Kaal is one of eight daily parts, assigned by weekday, considered inauspicious for starting new work. See Rahu Kaal today.
Muhurat — auspicious windows
Abhijit Muhurat around midday and Brahma Muhurat before dawn are broadly auspicious daily windows. For any city, open its panchang page to see today's exact timings.
Common questions
What are the five parts of the Panchang?
The five limbs (panch-anga) are Tithi (lunar day), Vaar (weekday), Nakshatra (lunar mansion), Yoga and Karana. Together they describe the quality of a given day.
What is a tithi?
A tithi is a lunar day — the time for the Moon to move 12° relative to the Sun. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month, 15 in the waxing (Shukla) and 15 in the waning (Krishna) paksha.
What is a nakshatra?
A nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions the Moon passes through. The nakshatra at sunrise is used in the day's panchang and in muhurat selection.