Rahu Kaal Today

How to see today’s Rahu Kaal

Pick your city above — Panchang Daily computes Rahu Kaal from that city’s real sunrise and sunset today, along with Yamaganda, Gulika Kaal and the auspicious Abhijit Muhurat, and shows you the exact timings. Rahu Kaal is a roughly 1½-hour inauspicious window each day, traditionally avoided for starting anything new and auspicious.

What is Rahu Kaal?

In Jyotish, Rahu is a shadow planet (chhaya graha) associated with sudden obstacles, confusion and disruption. Rahu Kaal is the part of the day held to be under Rahu’s influence, and is therefore considered inauspicious for beginning new activities. It is the most widely observed inauspicious period in Hindu timekeeping — known as “Rahu Kalam” in South India — and people routinely check it before travel, a purchase, a new beginning or signing anything important.

How Rahu Kaal is calculated

The day from sunrise to sunset is divided into eight equal parts. One fixed part — set by the weekday — is the Rahu Kaal. Because it is based on the length of the day, its duration is a little longer in summer and shorter in winter (about 90 minutes on average), and the exact time shifts by city with sunrise and sunset. This is precisely why you should read your city’s Rahu Kaal rather than rely on one generic printed table.

The Rahu Kaal slot by weekday

Each weekday is assigned one fixed part of the eight (the first part starting at sunrise):

The “rough time” column is only correct when sunrise is exactly 6:00 and sunset 6:00; for the true time see your city’s Rahu Kaal today. A common mnemonic for the order from Sunday is: 8, 2, 7, 5, 6, 4, 3.

What to avoid during Rahu Kaal

Rahu Kaal is avoided for starting these: setting out on a new journey, beginning marriage or engagement rituals, buying a vehicle, gold or property, opening a shop or business, a new contract or signing, griha pravesh, and any auspicious new beginning. Many also prefer to keep important meetings and decisions outside this window.

What is fine to do during Rahu Kaal

Rahu Kaal only restricts new beginnings — it does not stop work already under way. So a journey or task that has already started may continue through Rahu Kaal. Likewise daily worship, meditation, mantra-jaap and bhajan are done during Rahu Kaal without hesitation; some practitioners even regard this time as suitable for sadhana. If an auspicious task is unavoidable, choose a good choghadiya or the midday Abhijit Muhurat.

Yamaganda and Gulika Kaal

Two further inauspicious sub-periods accompany Rahu Kaal, both weekday-based eighth-parts of the day:

Yamaganda is associated with Yama (the lord of death); new auspicious work is avoided in it too. Gulika Kaal (Mandi) is linked to Gulika, a son of Saturn; interestingly, some traditions hold that whatever is begun in Gulika Kaal tends to “repeat”, so a few schools actually accept it for recurring-benefit tasks such as savings or long-term investment. Even so, the general rule is that all three — Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika — are avoided for auspicious beginnings.

Abhijit Muhurat — the counter to Rahu Kaal

If Rahu Kaal is the most avoided time of day, the Abhijit Muhurat is its bright counterpart — a roughly 48-minute window around midday (solar noon) that is auspicious for almost any task (except on Wednesdays by some traditions). If Rahu Kaal leaves you short of a good time, the Abhijit Muhurat is often a safe alternative. Brahma Muhurat, before sunrise, is best for worship, meditation and study.

Why Rahu Kaal changes by city

Because Rahu Kaal is derived from an eighth-part of the day (sunrise to sunset), and sunrise and sunset depend on latitude and longitude, the start time of Rahu Kaal differs by city and also shifts with the season. Eastern cities see sunrise earlier, so their Rahu Kaal comes earlier too. This is why you should read your own city’s Rahu Kaal today for the exact time.

Common misconceptions

The first is believing Rahu Kaal makes the whole day inauspicious; in fact it is only about 1½ hours and affects only new beginnings. The second is thinking daily worship is forbidden during Rahu Kaal; it is not. The third is treating one fixed clock time as always being Rahu Kaal, when it changes by weekday and city. The fourth is avoiding only Rahu Kaal while ignoring the choghadiya and tithi; a good muhurat weighs them together.

See your city’s Rahu Kaal now

Pick your city above to see today’s Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda, Gulika and the Abhijit Muhurat with exact timings. For how the weekday sets these windows, see the weekday pages; to choose a good time, use the choghadiya and muhurat planner; and for the fundamentals read the panchang guide.

The Yamaganda and Gulika slot (by weekday)

Like Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika are fixed parts of the eight into which the day is divided:

For the exact times, select your city above — it shows all three windows together.

Rahu Kaal remedies

If travel or a task is unavoidable during Rahu Kaal, tradition suggests a few supportive measures: remembering Durga or Hanuman, chanting “Om Namah Shivaya” or a Durga mantra, and eating a little curd or something sweet before setting out. These are faith-based supportive practices, not a substitute for the caution itself. The best course, where possible, is to wait for a good time or choose the Abhijit Muhurat.

Rahu Kaal vs Rahu Mahadasha/transit

An important confusion to clear up: Rahu Kaal (the daily ~90-minute window) and the Rahu Mahadasha or Rahu transit (multi-year planetary periods based on the birth chart) are completely different. Rahu Kaal occurs every day and is the same for everyone (by weekday and city); the Rahu Mahadasha depends on an individual horoscope and is analysed by an astrologer. This page is only about the daily Rahu Kaal.

North vs South Indian practice

In South India (especially Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra) Rahu Kalam is observed very strictly — people check it even for daily routines. In North India it is consulted mainly at the start of major and auspicious activities. The method of calculation is the same in both (a weekday-based eighth-part of the day); only the degree of observance differs.

What to watch for during Rahu Kaal

• Starting a journey: avoid; if unavoidable, some “begin” the trip a few minutes earlier (a token departure and pause)
• Purchases (vehicle/gold/property): avoid
• Shop or business opening: avoid
• Marriage, engagement, mundan and other rites: do not begin
• Signing or a new contract: avoid
• Exams/interviews: keep outside the window if the timing is yours to choose
• Daily worship, jaap, meals, ongoing work: do without hesitation

Quick checklist

• Read your city’s Rahu Kaal for today (don’t rely on a generic table)
• Note all three — Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda, Gulika
• Don’t begin any new auspicious work in them
• If unavoidable, choose a good choghadiya or the Abhijit Muhurat
• Continue routine worship without hesitation