Updated November 2026. This is a traditional-knowledge explainer. It is not scientific, medical, financial or legal advice.
The panchang (Sanskrit pancha, five, and anga, limb) is the traditional Hindu almanac. It lists five elements for each day: tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana. Families use it to choose dates for festivals, fasts and ceremonies. This guide explains each element in plain language and shows how to read a daily entry.
The five limbs at a glance
| Limb | What it is | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Tithi | Lunar day, set by the Moon-Sun angle | 30 per lunar month |
| Vara | Weekday | 7 |
| Nakshatra | The star-group (lunar mansion) the Moon is in | 27 |
| Yoga | Based on the sum of Sun and Moon longitudes | 27 |
| Karana | Half of a tithi | 11 kinds, 60 per month |
Tithi: the lunar day
The Moon moves faster than the Sun. A tithi is complete each time the Moon gains 12 degrees on the Sun, so a full cycle of 360 degrees gives 30 tithis. Fifteen belong to the waxing fortnight (shukla paksha, ending in the full moon, Purnima) and fifteen to the waning fortnight (krishna paksha, ending in the new moon, Amavasya). The names repeat in each fortnight:
Pratipada, Dwitiya, Tritiya, Chaturthi, Panchami, Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Dwadashi, Trayodashi, Chaturdashi, then Purnima (full moon) or Amavasya (new moon).
Because the Moon's speed varies, a tithi lasts anywhere from about 19 to 26 hours. That is why a tithi rarely lines up with a calendar day, and why festivals are fixed by rules about which tithi is present at a chosen moment. Examples of tithi-based observances include Ekadashi fasts (the 11th tithi), Purnima and Amavasya rites, and Chaturthi for Ganesha.
Vara: the weekday
The seven weekdays are named after the Sun, the Moon and five planets: Ravivara (Sunday), Somavara (Monday), Mangalavara (Tuesday), Budhavara (Wednesday), Guruvara (Thursday), Shukravara (Friday) and Shanivara (Saturday). In the panchang the day begins at sunrise, not midnight, so the early-morning hours before sunrise still belong to the previous vara. This is also why the Rahu Kaal calculator works from local sunrise.
Nakshatra: the lunar mansion
The zodiac of 360 degrees is divided into 27 equal parts of 13 degrees 20 minutes, each named after a star group. The nakshatra of the day is the one the Moon occupies. The Moon spends roughly a day in each.
The 27 nakshatras in order: Ashwini, Bharani, Krittika, Rohini, Mrigashira, Ardra, Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha, Magha, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Chitra, Swati, Vishakha, Anuradha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Purva Ashadha, Uttara Ashadha, Shravana, Dhanishta, Shatabhisha, Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada, Revati.
Each nakshatra is further split into four quarters (pada), giving 108 padas, and nine padas make up one zodiac sign. Nakshatras are used for naming ceremonies, for matching horoscopes and for judging muhurta. Traditional lists call some nakshatras more suitable for certain tasks, for example Pushya for beginnings, but these are traditions, not tested rules.
Yoga: Sun plus Moon
Add the longitudes of the Sun and the Moon and divide the total into 27 equal parts of 13 degrees 20 minutes; the part the sum falls into gives the yoga. Do not confuse this with yoga as a discipline of exercise and meditation, or with planetary combinations in a horoscope, which are also called yogas. The 27 names are: Vishkambha, Priti, Ayushman, Saubhagya, Shobhana, Atiganda, Sukarma, Dhriti, Shula, Ganda, Vriddhi, Dhruva, Vyaghata, Harshana, Vajra, Siddhi, Vyatipata, Variyana, Parigha, Shiva, Siddha, Sadhya, Shubha, Shukla, Brahma, Indra, Vaidhriti. Tradition considers some, such as Siddhi and Shubha, favourable and others, such as Vyatipata and Vaidhriti, unfavourable.
Karana: half a tithi
Each tithi is divided into two karanas, giving 60 in a lunar month. Eleven karanas exist. Seven (Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishti) repeat in a cycle eight times through the month, and four fixed ones (Shakuni, Chatushpada, Naga and Kimstughna) appear once each near the end and start of the month. Vishti, also called Bhadra, is considered inauspicious for new undertakings in tradition.
Sidereal calculations
Indian panchangs use the sidereal zodiac, which is fixed against the stars. Because the equinox slowly moves against the stars, the sidereal and the Western tropical zodiac differ by about 24 degrees today (the ayanamsa). Most Indian almanacs follow the Lahiri ayanamsa, adopted by the Indian government's Calendar Reform Committee in 1957.
Worked example: reading a daily entry
Suppose an almanac says: "Shukla Ekadashi, Thursday, Rohini nakshatra, Siddhi yoga, Balava karana." It means the Moon is in the first fortnight of the lunar month and is 120 to 132 degrees ahead of the Sun (the 11th tithi), the weekday is Thursday (Guruvara), the Moon is in Rohini, the yoga is Siddhi and the current karana is Balava. A family observing Ekadashi would fast on that day, with details of the exact start and end depending on the almanac they follow. The times for each element are given beside the names, because each starts and ends at different moments.
Lunar months and festivals
Hindu festivals are placed by lunar month and tithi. In the amanta system, followed in much of southern and western India, the month ends on Amavasya; in the purnimanta system, common in the north, it ends on Purnima. This is why the same festival can fall in a different "month" name depending on the region, while the date in the Gregorian calendar is the same. An extra month (adhika masa) is inserted about every 32 months so the lunar year stays in step with the seasons.
Using a panchang
- Choose one almanac for your region and follow it for festival dates.
- Use the sunrise time for your own city; a printed table for another city can be wrong by several minutes.
- Remember that the favourable and unfavourable labels are traditional beliefs, not scientific findings.
Frequently asked questions
Why do tithis start and end at odd times of day?
A tithi is defined by the angle between the Moon and the Sun, not by the clock. It can start at any time and lasts between about 19 and 26 hours, so a tithi may begin in the afternoon and end the next morning.
What if a tithi spans two days?
Rules differ by festival. Many observances use the tithi that is present at a particular time, such as sunrise, midday or moonrise, and a few use the tithi at night. Regional almanacs state which rule applies.
Why do panchangs from different regions disagree?
They may use different locations for sunrise, different ayanamsa values or different lunar-month conventions (amanta in most of southern and western India, purnimanta in much of the north).
Is the panchang based on astronomy?
The lunar and solar longitudes it uses are astronomical quantities and can be calculated accurately. What the tradition says about the quality of each tithi or nakshatra is a matter of belief.
How many karanas are there?
There are 11 karanas: seven that repeat and four that occur once a month. A lunar month has 60 karanas because each tithi holds two.