Panchang Today: Tithi, Nakshatra & Rahu Kaal

Panchang is the traditional Vedic daily calendar used across India. The word means "five limbs" in Sanskrit, referring to the five elements that define a day: Tithi (lunar day), Nakshatra (lunar mansion), Yoga (sun-moon combination), Karana (half-tithi), and Vara (weekday). It is used to choose auspicious times for weddings, business openings, travel, and religious ceremonies.

The five limbs are Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga, Karana, and Vara. Tithi is the lunar day based on the angular distance between the Sun and Moon. Nakshatra is the lunar mansion the Moon occupies. Yoga is a calculated combination of Sun and Moon positions. Karana is half of a tithi. Vara is the weekday, each ruled by a planet.

Tithi is a Vedic lunar day. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month, split into two halves: Shukla Paksha (waxing moon, tithis 1 to 15) and Krishna Paksha (waning moon, tithis 1 to 15). Each tithi has its own ruling deity and recommended activities. Tithi changes when the Moon moves 12 degrees ahead of the Sun.

A Nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions that divide the zodiac into equal segments of 13 degrees 20 minutes. The Moon spends roughly a day in each nakshatra. Each nakshatra has a ruling planet, a presiding deity, and qualities that influence everything from naming a baby to scheduling important events.

Yoga in Panchang is a time period calculated from the combined longitudes of the Sun and Moon. There are 27 yogas in total, and each is classified as auspicious or inauspicious. Yogas like Siddha, Shubha, and Amrita are considered favorable. Yogas like Vyatipata and Vaidhriti are avoided for important work.

Karana is half of a Tithi. There are 11 karanas in total: 7 movable karanas that rotate through the lunar month, and 4 fixed karanas that occur near the new moon. Karanas help refine the choice of muhurat for short tasks within a day.

Rahu Kaal is an inauspicious 90-minute window that occurs every day. It is calculated by dividing the time between sunrise and sunset into eight equal parts and assigning one part to each weekday’s Rahu period. Traditional practice avoids starting new ventures, signing contracts, travel, or major purchases during Rahu Kaal. Routine work is fine.

Abhijit Muhurat is the most auspicious window of the day, occurring around solar noon for roughly 48 minutes. It is considered universally favorable for starting new work, signing important documents, or beginning a journey, and is especially recommended when no other strong muhurat is available.

Panchang is location-specific because sunrise, sunset, and Rahu Kaal depend on your latitude and longitude. KundliAI uses your saved birth location (or a default) to compute today’s tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana, vara, sunrise, sunset, Rahu Kaal, and auspicious muhurats in your local timezone using Drik (sidereal) calculations with Lahiri ayanamsa.

Yes. KundliAI’s daily Panchang is free to use, with no signup required. You get tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana, vara, sunrise, sunset, Rahu Kaal, and the day’s auspicious muhurats in plain English.