Vedic Panchang Calendar 2026
A Panchang is the Hindu system of timekeeping that defines a single day by five limbs — tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana and vara. All five are derived from the actual positions of the Sun and Moon, which is why a Panchang day begins at local sunrise rather than midnight and why the answer changes with your city. Two places can sit in different tithis on the same calendar date.
Worked example — today, Varanasi (Kashi), India
- Tithi
- Navami — until 11:36 PM
- Nakshatra
- Anuradha
- Yoga
- Vaidhriti
- Karana
- Balava
- Sunrise
- 05:34 AM
- Sunset
- 06:28 PM
- Rahu Kaal
- 10:24 AM – 12:01 PM
- Masa
- Shravana
Computed by this site's own Panchang engine, referenced to Varanasi. Open the linked pages below for your own city.
The five limbs of the Panchang
The word Panchang literally means “five limbs”. A reading is only complete when all five are given.
Tithi — lunar day
12° of separation between the Moon and the Sun. Thirty to a cycle. Because the Moon's speed varies, a tithi runs roughly 19 to 26 hours rather than a fixed length.
See today's tithi →Nakshatra — lunar mansion
One of 27 arcs of 13°20′, read from the sidereal longitude of the Moon. The basis of the birth star and of the Vimshottari dasha system.
Browse nakshatras →Yoga — Sun–Moon sum
One of 27 divisions of the combined sidereal longitudes of the Sun and Moon. Despite the name it is not a planetary conjunction.
Today's panchang →Karana — half-tithi
Half of a tithi — a 6° arc. Sixty of them fall in one lunar month.
Today's karana →Vara — weekday
The day counted sunrise to sunrise. The weekday is what decides which eighth of daylight becomes Rahu Kaal.
Check Rahu Kaal →Why the day begins at sunrise
Tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana are continuous quantities — they can end at any clock time. So a rule is needed to decide which one names a given day. The general one is udaya-vyapini: the tithi running at sunrise names the day. Several major observances deliberately depart from it — Diwali and Dhanteras are judged at pradosha (just after sunset), Janmashtami and Maha Shivaratri at nishita (solar midnight), and Karwa Chauth at moonrise.
Because sunrise depends on latitude, longitude and time zone, the same date can fall in different tithis in two cities. This is why a Panchang without a stated location is incomplete.
The lunar month: Purnimanta and Amanta
A lunar month takes its name from the Sun's sidereal sign at the bounding new moons. Two conventions are in use: Purnimanta months end at the full moon (common across North India) and Amanta months end at the new moon (common in the west and south). The date is the same either way — only the month label differs — which is why this site shows both wherever the distinction matters. Roughly every third year an Adhika (intercalary) month is inserted, and named festivals are not observed in it.
Hindu lunar months and their dates →
Recurring observances: Amavasya, Purnima, Ekadashi
In the 30-tithi cycle, Purnima is the fifteenth and Amavasya the thirtieth — a Sun–Moon separation of 180° and 0° respectively. Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi of each fortnight, so it falls twice a month.
- Amavasya dates 2026 →
- Purnima dates 2026 →
- Ekadashi dates 2026 →
- Pradosh Vrat dates 2026 →
- Masik Shivaratri 2026 →
- Hindu festival calendar 2026 →
Auspicious and inauspicious windows
Most muhurat reckoning rests on dividing daylight — sunrise to sunset — into eight equal parts. Rahu Kaal, Gulika Kaal and Yamaganda are each one of those eighths, and the weekday decides which. Abhijit Muhurat is a short favourable window around local noon that is absent on some days. Choghadiya is another reading of the same division.
Rahu Kaal →Today's muhurat →Vivah muhurat 2026 →
Frequently asked questions
What are the five parts of a Panchang?
Panchang means “five limbs” (pancha + anga): tithi (lunar day), nakshatra (the Moon's constellation), yoga (a combined Sun–Moon figure), karana (half of a tithi) and vara (the weekday). A reading is only complete when all five are given for a specific place and date.
Why does the Panchang change depending on my city?
Tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana are continuous astronomical quantities — they do not start at midnight. Which one applies to a given day is decided at local sunrise, and sunrise depends on latitude, longitude and time zone. Two cities on the same date can therefore sit in different tithis.
When does a Hindu day begin?
At sunrise, not midnight. The tithi running at sunrise generally names the day — the udaya-vyapini rule. Several observances deliberately break that rule and are judged at a different moment instead, such as sunset, midnight or moonrise.
What is the difference between Amavasya and Purnima?
Amavasya is the new-moon tithi, when the Moon and Sun share the same ecliptic longitude. Purnima is the full-moon tithi, when they are 180° apart. In a 30-tithi cycle Purnima is the fifteenth and Amavasya the thirtieth.
What is a tithi, precisely?
A tithi is 12° of angular separation between the Moon and the Sun. A full lunar cycle of 360° therefore contains 30 tithis. Because the Moon's speed varies, a tithi is not a fixed number of hours — it can run roughly 19 to 26 hours.
Why do Purnimanta and Amanta calendars give different month names?
They end the lunar month at different points. Purnimanta months, used across much of North India, end at the full moon; Amanta months, used widely in the west and south, end at the new moon. The same day can carry two different month names — which is why a festival's month label varies by region even though the date does not.
What is Adhika Masa?
An intercalary (extra) lunar month, inserted roughly every three years to keep the lunar calendar aligned with the solar year. It occurs when a lunar month contains no solar ingress. Named festivals are not observed in an Adhika month.
Is Rahu Kaal the same time every day?
No. Rahu Kaal is one-eighth of the interval between sunrise and sunset, and which eighth it is depends on the weekday. Since sunrise and sunset shift through the year and by location, both its start time and its length change daily.