What Is Panchang? Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga & Karana

A Panchang is the traditional Hindu calendar and almanac. It describes each day through five elements: Tithi (lunar day), Vara (weekday), Nakshatra (the Moon's star division), Yoga (a Sun and Moon calculation) and Karana (half of a Tithi). Festival dates, fasting days, marriage dates and auspicious times in Nepal are all worked out from these five elements.

The values are calculated from the positions of the Sun and Moon, so most of them change at a set time during the day rather than at midnight. That is why a Panchang shows an ending time next to each Tithi and Nakshatra.

The word comes from two Sanskrit terms:

• Pancha, meaning five
• Anga, meaning limb or part

So Panchang means "five limbs". The five limbs are:

1. Tithi
2. Vara
3. Nakshatra
4. Yoga
5. Karana

Read together, these five give the traditional timing information for a particular day.

What Is a Panchang?

A Panchang, also written Panchanga or Panchangam, is a Hindu almanac used to find lunar dates, weekdays, festivals, religious observances and the periods traditionally treated as auspicious or inauspicious.

Depending on the publication, a Panchang may also list:

• Sunrise and sunset
• Moonrise and moonset
• Lunar month and Paksha
• Festival and fasting dates
• Rahu Kaal
• Muhurta timings
• Planetary positions
• Solar and lunar eclipses
• Regional calendar dates

There are several regional and computational traditions of the Hindu calendar. Because of this, a festival date or the ending time of a Tithi can differ slightly between places or between Panchang systems.

The Five Elements of Panchang at a Glance

Each element is explained below.

1. What Is Tithi?

Tithi is the lunar day of the Hindu calendar. It is set by the angular distance between the Moon and the Sun, not by a fixed 24-hour clock.

One Tithi passes each time the angle between the Sun and Moon grows by about 12 degrees. The apparent speed of the Moon and Sun is not constant, so a Tithi does not always start at sunrise and does not always last 24 hours. It can start or end at any hour of the day or night.

A lunar month is split into two Pakshas, or fortnights.

Shukla Paksha

Shukla Paksha is the waxing half of the month. It starts after Amavasya (new moon) and ends at Purnima (full moon).

Krishna Paksha

Krishna Paksha is the waning half. It starts after Purnima and ends at Amavasya.

Each Paksha has 15 Tithis, so a lunar month has about 30 Tithis.

Names of the Tithis

The first fourteen Tithis of each Paksha are:

Pratipada, Dwitiya, Tritiya, Chaturthi, Panchami, Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Dwadashi, Trayodashi and Chaturdashi.

The fifteenth Tithi is either:

• Purnima, the full-moon Tithi, at the end of Shukla Paksha
• Amavasya, the new-moon Tithi, at the end of Krishna Paksha

Why Is Tithi Important?

Tithi is used to fix:

• Festival dates
• Fasting days
• Puja observances
• Memorial rites such as shraddha
• Religious ceremonies
• Muhurta selection

For example, the Ekadashi fast falls on the eleventh Tithi of each fortnight, so it comes twice a month.

2. What Is Vara?

Vara is the weekday. It is the easiest of the five elements because it follows the ordinary seven-day week.

In traditional astrology each Vara has a ruling planet, and some days are considered better suited to certain activities.

In the traditional count a Vara runs from one sunrise to the next, not from midnight to midnight. It changes predictably every day, so it gets less attention than the other elements, but it is still one of the five parts of the Panchang.

3. What Is Nakshatra?

A Nakshatra is a lunar mansion: one of the divisions of the zodiac used to track where the Moon is.

The zodiac is divided into 27 Nakshatras, each covering 13 degrees and 20 minutes. The Moon passes through roughly one Nakshatra per day, but the exact change time varies from day to day.

Some well-known Nakshatras are:

• Ashwini
• Bharani
• Krittika
• Rohini
• Mrigashira
• Ardra
• Punarvasu
• Pushya
• Magha
• Hasta
• Swati
• Anuradha
• Mula
• Shravana
• Dhanishtha
• Revati

Why Is Nakshatra Important?

Nakshatra is used in:

• Naming ceremonies
• Birth-chart reading
• Marriage matching
• Muhurta selection
• Festival calculations
• Religious rituals

A person's Janma Nakshatra, or birth Nakshatra, is the Nakshatra the Moon was in at the recorded time and place of birth. It is often used to choose the first letter of a child's name.

A Nakshatra is not the same as a zodiac sign. The zodiac signs split the sky into 12 parts; the Nakshatra system splits it into 27 smaller parts.

4. What Is Yoga in Panchang?

In a Panchang, Yoga has nothing to do with exercise or meditation. It is a value calculated from the combined longitudes of the Sun and Moon.

The two longitudes are added, and the total is divided into 27 equal parts. Each part is one Yoga and covers 13 degrees and 20 minutes.

The 27 Yogas 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 and Vaidhriti.

Why Is Yoga Considered Important?

Each Yoga is traditionally linked with a particular quality. Some are treated as good for certain work, and others are avoided when choosing a Muhurta.

A Yoga is not judged alone. Practitioners read it together with the Tithi, Vara, Nakshatra, Karana and other timing factors.

5. What Is Karana?

A Karana is half of a Tithi.

One Tithi equals about 12 degrees of separation between the Moon and Sun, so one Karana equals about 6 degrees. Every Tithi therefore has two Karanas.

There are 11 named Karanas.

Seven Repeating Karanas

• Bava
• Balava
• Kaulava
• Taitila
• Garaja
• Vanija
• Vishti (also called Bhadra)

Four Fixed Karanas

• Shakuni
• Chatushpada
• Naga
• Kimstughna

The seven repeating Karanas come round several times in a lunar month. The four fixed Karanas appear only at set points in the lunar cycle.

Why Is Karana Important?

Karana is checked when picking a time for:

• Setting out on a trip
• Signing an agreement
• Starting a project
• Holding a ceremony
• Religious activities

A Karana lasts only half a Tithi, so it changes more often than the Tithi shown on a daily calendar. One day can have two or three Karanas.

How Do the Five Panchang Elements Work Together?

A date is never judged by one element alone. Two days can share the same weekday and still have different Tithis, Nakshatras, Yogas and Karanas.

A Tithi can also end in the afternoon, after which the next Tithi begins. The Nakshatra or Yoga may change at a different hour on the same date.

A traditional Muhurta check may look at:

• The active Tithi
• The weekday
• The current Nakshatra
• The current Yoga
• The active Karana
• Sunrise and sunset
• The place
• The type of work planned
• Other astrological factors

This means Panchang information depends on both time and place.

Why Can Panchang Timings Differ by Location?

Sunrise and sunset depend on the observing location. A geocentric Tithi or Nakshatra transition is the same instant worldwide; its displayed clock time changes with the time zone. Which Tithi is present at local sunrise can differ between cities, which can affect observance rules.

For daily use, set:

• The correct city
• The correct time zone
• The correct date
• One Panchang tradition, used consistently

Katigate’s daily Panchang uses Kathmandu timings. It is not a location picker for cities abroad. If a ceremony depends on local sunrise, use a Panchang for the ceremony location and confirm the observance with your family priest.

What Is the Difference Between Panchang and a Regular Calendar?

A regular calendar tells you today's date. A Panchang also tells you which Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga and Karana are active today and when each one ends.

How to Read a Daily Panchang

Go through a daily Panchang in this order.

Step 1: Confirm the location

Check the location and time zone stated on the Panchang. Katigate’s displayed timings are for Kathmandu, in Nepal time (UTC+5:45).

Step 2: Check sunrise

Many daily calculations and observances are tied to local sunrise.

Step 3: Read the Tithi and its ending time

The Tithi may change before or after sunrise.

Step 4: Check the Nakshatra

Note its name and its ending time.

Step 5: Review Yoga and Karana

These can also change during the day.

Step 6: Check the rule for the festival or observance

Some festivals follow the Tithi that is active at sunrise. Others follow the Tithi at sunset, at moonrise or during a set ritual period.

Step 7: Ask a qualified practitioner for major ceremonies

Marriage, house-entry and other major Muhurta decisions use more factors than the five daily elements.

Is Panchang Astronomy or Astrology?

Panchang calculations use solar and lunar positions that can be observed or calculated mathematically. Using them to set festival dates and organise the calendar is traditional calendar practice.

Claims that a combination is auspicious, inauspicious or predicts events come from astrology and religious tradition, not from modern scientific evidence. Readers can treat these interpretations according to their own cultural, spiritual or personal beliefs.

Summary of the Five Panchang Elements

• Tithi: the lunar day, about 12 degrees of Sun–Moon separation.
• Vara: the weekday, counted from sunrise.
• Nakshatra: the Moon's position in one of 27 divisions of 13 degrees 20 minutes.
• Yoga: one of 27 parts of the combined Sun and Moon longitude.
• Karana: half a Tithi, about 6 degrees.

Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga and Karana can all change during the day, so always check the ending times for your own location.

More on Katigate

• Today's Panchang
• Daily Rashifal
• Auspicious Saait & muhurat dates
• Nepali holidays & festivals