Today's Panchang for New Delhi: auspicious times

How to read today's Panchang

Panchang (also written Panchangam) is the Hindu almanac. Its name means five limbs: tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana. Read together they describe the quality of a day, and families across India check the Panchang, aaj ka Panchang, before a puja, a journey, a purchase or any new beginning. This page shows the Panchang for New Delhi, computed fresh at midnight Delhi time from the positions of the Sun and the Moon.

Tithi (aaj ki tithi)

The lunar day. Each tithi is the time the Moon takes to move 12 degrees ahead of the Sun, so there are 30 in a lunar month: 15 in Shukla Paksha as the Moon waxes and 15 in Krishna Paksha as it wanes. Festivals and vrat are fixed by tithi.

Vara (vaar)

The weekday, counted from sunrise to sunrise rather than midnight to midnight. Each vara is ruled by a planet: Monday by the Moon, Saturday by Saturn, and so on.

Nakshatra (aaj ka nakshatra)

The lunar mansion the Moon is passing through. The sky is divided into 27 nakshatras of 13 degrees 20 minutes each, and the Moon spends roughly a day in each one.

Yoga

One of 27 divisions of the combined longitude of the Sun and the Moon. Each yoga has its own nature, and a few, such as Vyatipata and Vaidhriti, are traditionally avoided for new work.

Karana

Half of a tithi, so there are two in every lunar day. Vishti karana, also called Bhadra, is the one people avoid for auspicious beginnings.

Abhijit Muhurat (shubh muhurat)

The muhurat around local noon, about 48 minutes long. It is held to cancel most doshas of the day, which is why it is the most used shubh muhurat for starting something important.

Brahma Muhurat

The period of about 48 minutes that ends roughly an hour and a half before sunrise. It is the traditional time for meditation, study and prayer.

Rahu Kaal (Rahu Kalam)

One eighth of the daylight hours, ruled by Rahu, whose position in the day changes with the weekday. New ventures are avoided in it. Yamaganda and Gulika Kaal are two further inauspicious periods read the same way.