Panchang Today: Meaning & Examples

Panchang is the traditional Hindu calendar and almanac. It describes the five limbs (pancha anga) of time for a given day — tithi (lunar day), nakshatra (lunar mansion), yoga, karana, and vara (weekday) — along with auspicious and inauspicious periods such as shubh muhurat and Rahu Kaal. It is used to plan rituals, festivals, and daily activities in line with Vedic timing.

Tithi is the lunar day, measured by the angular relationship between the Sun and the Moon. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month: fifteen in the waxing (Shukla) fortnight from Pratipada to Purnima, and fifteen in the waning (Krishna) fortnight from Pratipada to Amavasya. Tithi influences mood, compatibility for certain acts, and festival dates.

Nakshatra is the Moon’s mansion among 27 equal divisions of the zodiac (roughly 13°20′ each). Each nakshatra has its own deity, symbol, and qualities. The nakshatra occupied by the Moon at birth is your janma nakshatra; the Moon’s nakshatra each day is noted in the daily panchang for muhurat and general guidance.

Rahu Kaal is an approximately 90-minute window each weekday ruled by Rahu, considered inauspicious for starting new ventures, travel, or major purchases. It is calculated from sunrise and varies by location; many almanacs give standard civil-time slots per weekday for reference. Auspicious work is often scheduled outside Rahu Kaal.

The tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana values on this page are rotating educational examples, not calculations from the Sun and Moon for the displayed date. The muhurat times are examples and Rahu Kaal is a standard weekday reference. Use a calculated panchang for your date, city and timezone to check actual lunar elements, sunrise-based timings, festivals or rituals.