Shubh Muhurat & Choghadiya Planner

What is a muhurat?

A muhurat is an auspicious moment chosen for an activity. Traditionally one muhurat is about 48 minutes (thirty muhurats in a day and night), but in practice “finding a muhurat” means choosing a time for a task when most of the panchang factors are favourable. Marriage, housewarming, namkaran, mundan, starting a business, travel or buying something new — all of these have a tradition of choosing an auspicious muhurat. This planner computes it for your city and chosen date and highlights the auspicious time for your task. All calculation is astronomical — no predictions.

The factors of a muhurat — layer by layer

An auspicious muhurat is not one thing but several layered factors weighed together:

• Tithi — some tithis (Dwitiya, Tritiya, Panchami, Saptami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Trayodashi) are considered good for auspicious beginnings, while Rikta tithis (Chaturthi, Navami, Chaturdashi) and Amavasya are avoided for ordinary auspicious work.
• Nakshatra — nakshatras such as Rohini, Mrigashira, the three Uttaras, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Pushya and Revati are considered auspicious for many tasks; the ideal nakshatra varies by activity.
• Vaar — Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday favour most auspicious work; Tuesday and Saturday are limited.
• Yoga and Karana — some yogas (Siddha, Amrita, Shubha) are auspicious and a few (Vyatipata, Vaidhriti) avoided; the karana further refines auspiciousness.
• Choghadiya — the method for choosing the best hour within the day; Amrit, Shubh and Labh are auspicious.
• Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda, Gulika — these inauspicious parts of the day are avoided.
• Abhijit Muhurat — the most auspicious midday window, which often pacifies other defects too.

For major sanskaras, the horoscopes of the bride and groom (or the person concerned) are also considered. This is why the final muhurat is best confirmed with a qualified pandit.

How to use this planner

Find a muhurat above in three steps: (1) choose your city so the calculation uses local sunrise and sunset; (2) choose a date — today, or any upcoming day with the arrow buttons; (3) choose your task — general, travel, purchase, new work or puja/ceremony. The planner computes that day’s choghadiya, Rahu Kaal and Abhijit Muhurat, and highlights the auspicious windows for your task. So you can find a good time for any day yourself, without any astrological calculation.

Auspicious timing by task

Travel: Char choghadiya is best (also Amrit, Shubh, Labh); mind Rahu Kaal and Disha Shool. Purchases (vehicle/gold/property): Labh or Amrit; Pushya nakshatra, Akshaya Tritiya and Dhanteras are especially auspicious. Starting a business/shop: Labh or Amrit, with a good tithi and vaar. New job/interview/contract: Amrit, Shubh or Labh; the Abhijit Muhurat is safe. Puja/havan/ceremony: Shubh or Amrit, and the Abhijit Muhurat. Starting medicine/treatment: Amrit. Beginning study: Shubh or Labh, best on a Thursday and Pushya/Hasta nakshatra. In every case the core rule is the same — choose a good choghadiya, take the Abhijit, avoid Rahu Kaal.

Wedding and griha pravesh muhurats

For major sanskaras such as a wedding or housewarming, an ordinary choghadiya is not enough — these weigh the auspicious month, nakshatra, tithi and horoscope matching, and avoid periods such as Chaturmas and adhik maas. For these, see our dedicated vivah muhurat and griha pravesh muhurat guidance, and always fix the final date with a qualified pandit considering the horoscopes involved. In that process, this planner helps you check the choghadiya and Rahu Kaal on a shortlisted date.

Abhijit and Brahma Muhurat

Two universally auspicious windows are available every day. The Abhijit Muhurat is a roughly 48-minute window around midday (solar noon), considered auspicious for almost any task (except on Wednesdays by some traditions) — if no suitable time is found elsewhere, it is often a safe choice. The Brahma Muhurat is the roughly 96 minutes before sunrise, best for worship, meditation, study and sadhana. Both are derived from your city’s sun times, so they shift by city and day.

Inauspicious periods to avoid

When choosing a muhurat, these inauspicious periods are avoided: Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika (daily weekday-based windows); Rikta tithis (Chaturthi, Navami, Chaturdashi) for ordinary auspicious beginnings; Bhadra (Vishti karana), avoided for some auspicious rites; Panchak, a group of nakshatras in which certain tasks (such as roofing or southward travel) are avoided; and Amavasya for ordinary auspicious beginnings. The aim of all of this is to give a task an obstacle-free, auspicious start.

Some myths about muhurat

The first is believing a muhurat is required for every small task; in fact, for daily work a good choghadiya and avoiding Rahu Kaal are enough, and days such as Akshaya Tritiya are auspicious in themselves. The second is thinking a muhurat is only about “finding” a good time; in fact it is a tradition of beginning a task with an auspicious intention and focus. The third is treating one fixed clock time as always auspicious, when a muhurat changes by weekday, tithi and city.

Muhurat in the bigger picture

Muhurat selection is the “timing”, practical side of Jyotish, not the “prediction” side. It is a tool for giving every important beginning an auspicious, considered start. For daily use, find a good time for any date with the planner above; for the fundamentals, read the panchang guide; and for today’s city-wise timings, see the choghadiya and Rahu Kaal.

Choosing a wedding date, step by step

The wedding muhurat is the most carefully chosen of all. The traditional order is roughly this: first look at the auspicious month (Magha, Phalguna, Vaishakha, Jyeshtha and others are auspicious; Chaturmas and adhik maas/malmaas are avoided). Then choose an auspicious nakshatra (Rohini, Mrigashira, Magha, the three Uttaras, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Mula, Revati) and an auspicious tithi (Dwitiya, Tritiya, Panchami, Saptami, Ekadashi, Trayodashi). Next comes guna milan of the bride’s and groom’s horoscopes and a check that Jupiter and Venus are not combust. Finally, within that day, the time of the pheras is set in an auspicious lagna and an Abhijit/Shubh choghadiya. Because of so many factors, always fix the final wedding muhurat with a qualified pandit — this planner only helps check the choghadiya and Rahu Kaal on a shortlisted date. For detailed guidance see vivah muhurat.

Griha pravesh muhurat in detail

Griha pravesh (entering a new home) is of three kinds — apoorva (first time), sapoorva (returning after travel) and dwandwa (after repairs). The auspicious months for it are Magha, Phalguna, Vaishakha and Jyeshtha; good nakshatras include Rohini, Mrigashira, the three Uttaras, Chitra, Anuradha and Revati. Chaturmas (when Vishnu rests), malmaas, Amavasya and Rikta tithis are avoided. The entry is usually made in an auspicious lagna and choghadiya of the day, with a kalash and puja. For a detailed list see griha pravesh muhurat.

Buying a vehicle, gold or property

For a major purchase, Pushya nakshatra is considered the most auspicious — especially when it falls on a Thursday (Guru Pushya) or Sunday (Ravi Pushya). In addition, Akshaya Tritiya and Dhanteras are the traditional days for buying gold. Among tithis, Dwitiya, Tritiya, Panchami, Dashami, Ekadashi and Trayodashi are auspicious; among weekdays, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are favourable. Within the day, choose a Labh or Amrit choghadiya and avoid Rahu Kaal. To see upcoming Pushya days, view gold-buying days.

Namkaran, annaprashan and mundan

The child sanskaras have their own muhurats. Namkaran is usually done on the eleventh or twelfth day after birth, in an auspicious nakshatra, and the first letter of the name is set by the birth nakshatra and pada (see namkaran letters). Annaprashan (first solid food) is done in the sixth or eighth month on an auspicious tithi and nakshatra. Mundan (first head-shaving) is usually in the first, third or fifth year, in an auspicious month and nakshatra. For all of these, Rikta tithis, Amavasya and inauspicious nakshatras are avoided and a good choghadiya is chosen.

Business, shop opening and the Diwali muhurat

For starting a new business, shop or account book, a Labh or Amrit choghadiya, an auspicious tithi (especially Panchami, Dashami, Ekadashi) and a Wednesday/Thursday/Friday are considered best. For the trading community, the Diwali Lakshmi Puja and the accompanying Chopda Pujan (opening new account books) is the most auspicious business muhurat of the year. Pushya nakshatra and Akshaya Tritiya are also auspicious for a new venture. Within the day, open in a good choghadiya while avoiding Rahu Kaal.

Panchak and Bhadra: what they mean for a muhurat

Two special periods are watched carefully in a muhurat. During Panchak — the time of five nakshatras from Dhanishta to Revati — certain tasks (roofing, southward travel, gathering fuel or wood, making a bed) are avoided; but ordinary auspicious work can be done in it. During Bhadra (the Vishti karana), auspicious rites, travel and new beginnings are avoided — notably Raksha Bandhan and Holika Dahan are performed in the Bhadra-free window. These are finer considerations that matter for major sanskaras; for daily tasks a good choghadiya and avoiding Rahu Kaal are enough. When in doubt, confirm with a qualified pandit.