How We Calculate the Panchang
Panchang Daily computes every value locally with established astronomical (drik-ganita) algorithms for the Sun and Moon, using each city's exact coordinates and timezone. Nothing is hand-edited or invented — and for religious observance we always advise confirming with your local panchang.
What we compute, and how
A panchang ("five limbs") brings together five elements of the Hindu calendar for a given place and day. We calculate each from the positions of the Sun and Moon at that place:
- Tithi — the lunar day, defined by the Moon gaining 12° on the Sun. We compute the Sun–Moon elongation and the tithi that prevails at local sunrise.
- Nakshatra — the lunar mansion, from the Moon's sidereal longitude across the 27 divisions of the zodiac.
- Yoga & Karana — from the combined and half-tithi relationships of Sun and Moon.
- Vaara & Masa — the weekday and lunar month, with paksha (waxing/waning) and ritu (season).
- Sunrise, sunset, solar noon — astronomical rise/set for the city's latitude, longitude and elevation-independent horizon.
Choghadiya, Rahu Kaal and the muhurat windows
The auspicious and inauspicious windows follow classical rules, not guesswork. The day (sunrise→sunset) and night (sunset→next sunrise) are each divided into eight parts. Choghadiya assigns the seven names (Amrit, Shubh, Labh, Char, Udveg, Kaal, Rog) in a fixed sequence whose starting point rotates by weekday. Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika are the day-parts assigned to each weekday. Abhijit Muhurat is the eighth of the fifteen day-muhurtas around solar noon, and Brahma Muhurat is the pre-dawn window roughly 96–48 minutes before sunrise. Because all of these derive from the local sunrise and sunset, they are genuinely specific to each city — a real reason a separate page per city exists.
Accuracy, conventions and honesty
Our values are precise astronomical estimates. Traditional authorities may adopt a particular ayanamsha (the offset between the tropical and sidereal zodiac), a specific sunrise convention (centre or upper limb of the Sun, with or without refraction), or a different rule for when a tithi "counts". These choices can shift a tithi or a festival by up to a day, and can move a muhurat by a few minutes. We are transparent that this is calculation, not decree: for weddings, ceremonies, vrat and any religious decision, confirm with your local panchang or a qualified purohit. We never invent or hand-edit a value to look tidy, and pages are recomputed daily so they always reflect the current sky.
Common questions
Is the panchang on this site accurate?
The astronomical quantities — sunrise, sunset, tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana — are computed with established drik-ganita algorithms and are accurate to within a minute or two for each city. What can differ from a printed panchang is convention: the ayanamsha used, the exact sunrise definition, and whether a tithi is counted at sunrise. For any religious observance, confirm the day and muhurat with your local panchang or purohit.
What is drik ganita?
Drik ganita ("observation-based calculation") determines panchang elements from the actual computed positions of the Sun and Moon, rather than from older mean-motion tables (vakya). It matches the sky closely and is the method used by most modern panchangs.
Why does the date of a festival or Ekadashi sometimes differ by a day?
A tithi can begin or end at any time of day, so different rules — whether the tithi prevails at sunrise, or at the moment of a rite — can place an observance on either of two dates. We show the tithi at sunrise; regional traditions may choose differently.
Do you use my location?
City pages use the city's fixed coordinates. The optional "your exact location" panel computes entirely in your browser from your device's coordinates and is never sent to us.