What Is Panchang?
Panchang comes from two Sanskrit words: pancha (five) and anga (part or limb). Together they mean "the five parts", five measures that describe a single day in a complete way.
Long before printed calendars, people tracked the sky closely: the Sun, the Moon and the stars. From these movements they built a daily system with five measures, still used today in Hindu homes before starting anything important.
The Five Parts of Panchang
| Part | In Simple Words |
|---|---|
| Tithi | A lunar day: how far the Moon has moved away from the Sun. |
| Vaar | The weekday, Sunday to Saturday, same as the normal calendar. |
| Nakshatra | The star group the Moon is passing through that day. |
| Yoga | A combined Sun-Moon position, used to judge the mood of the day. |
| Karana | Half of a Tithi, a finer reading of the day. |
एतेषां यत्र विज्ञानं पञ्चाङ्गं तन्निगद्यते॥
Eteshaam yatra vijnaanam panchaangam tannigadyate.
Today's Panchang, Live For Your City
As soon as this page opens, the calculator works out an approximate location from your internet connection automatically, with no permission popup, and shows real Sun and Moon positions for that place and date, right in your browser, using the classical method described above. For pinpoint accuracy, tap "Use My Exact Location", which asks your device for its precise GPS position. You can also search for any other city in the world at any time. Every time shown below is followed by your time zone in bold letters, so you always know it is your own local time.
Understanding Your Result: What Each Line Means
Vaar / Weekday: The day of the week, shown with its Sanskrit name. Sunday is Ravivar, named after the Sun (Ravi).
Paksha: Which half of the lunar month you are in. Shukla Paksha is the fifteen days when the Moon is growing, ending in Purnima (full moon). Krishna Paksha is the fifteen days when it is shrinking, ending in Amavasya (no moon).
Tithi: The lunar day. Unlike a normal day, a Tithi can be shorter or longer than 24 hours depending on how fast the Moon is moving. Ekadashi and many festivals are fixed by Tithi, not by date. Each Tithi also belongs to one of five traditional groups (Nanda, Bhadra, Jaya, Rikta or Purna), which our calculator explains for you under "What Today Means For You".
Nakshatra: Which of the 27 star groups the Moon is passing through. Your Nakshatra at birth, your birth star, is used for naming ceremonies and marriage compatibility. Each Nakshatra also belongs to one of three groups, Deva, Manushya or Rakshasa, which our calculator explains for you.
Yoga: Combines the Sun's and Moon's positions for a finer reading of how favourable a period is, alongside Tithi and Nakshatra.
Karana: Exactly half of a Tithi, giving an even more detailed view of the hours within a day.
Sun Sign and Moon Sign: The Rashi (zodiac sign) the Sun and Moon are placed in, using the sidereal system followed in Vedic astrology. Your Moon sign is your Rashi, used for daily Rashifal.
Sunrise and Sunset: Calculated for your exact place. In Panchang tradition, a new day begins at sunrise, not midnight, so Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga and Karana above are read as of sunrise.
Moonrise and Moonset: The times the Moon rises and sets for your place. Depending on the Tithi, the Moon can rise well after sunrise or set well after sunset.
Rahu Kalam, Yamaganda, Gulika Kalam: Three windows within the day traditionally considered unfavourable for starting new, important work.
Abhijit Muhurat: The short window around midday considered auspicious for starting most new work. It is the eighth of fifteen equal parts of daylight, and is not used on Wednesdays by tradition.
Choghadiya: A separate, simpler system of eight day and eight night windows, each with a quality (good, neutral or avoided), commonly used for choosing a time to travel or begin small tasks.
Sources And Method: Staying True To Tradition
This calculator follows the same classical method that all genuine Panchang systems are built on. It works out the real sidereal positions of the Sun and Moon using formulas from classical solar and lunar theory, in the tradition of the Surya Siddhanta and later astronomical refinements, and converts them using the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) Ayanamsa. This is the same Ayanamsa officially adopted by the Government of India's Calendar Reform Committee and used in the National Panchang.
The groupings shown in "What Today Means For You" (the Nanda-Bhadra-Jaya-Rikta-Purna Tithi types, the Deva-Manushya-Rakshasa Nakshatra groups, and the auspicious or inauspicious grouping of the 27 Yogas) follow the classical Muhurta Shastra tradition compiled in texts such as the Muhurta Chintamani. Because different Panchang publishers round their calculations differently, timings here may vary from a printed Panchang by a few minutes. For a wedding date, Griha Pravesh or other major Muhurat, please always confirm the exact timing with your family priest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the word Panchang mean?
Is Panchang the same everywhere in the world?
Why does a Tithi not always match one calendar day?
What is my Nakshatra used for?
Should I avoid all work during Rahu Kalam?
Why do the Panchang values change at sunrise rather than midnight?
How does the calculator know my city automatically?
Can I check the Panchang for a different city, not just my own?
Can I use this Panchang to fix a wedding or Griha Pravesh date?
Related Reading
- Understanding the Hindu Calendar, a simple guide to how Tithi, month and year work in the Hindu calendar
- Pitru Paksha Shraddha Tithi Finder 2026, find the correct date to perform Shraddha for an ancestor