How to read the monthly Panchang
The calendar above is the monthly Panchang for the city you select. Each day cell shows the tithi and paksha, the nakshatra, the moon sign and the day's sunrise and sunset — all calculated for sunrise at that place, because the Hindu day begins at sunrise and not at midnight. Tap any date to open its full daily Panchang below the grid, or the "Detailed Panchang" link to see every limb and the astrological details.
Tithi and paksha across the month
The month runs through two pakshas. The bright half, Shukla Paksha, goes from the day after Amavasya (new moon) up to Purnima (full moon) as the Moon waxes; the dark half, Krishna Paksha, runs from after Purnima back to Amavasya as it wanes. Each cell names the tithi in force at sunrise, so you can see at a glance when Ekadashi, Purnima, Amavasya, Sankashti Chaturthi and Pradosh fall this month.
Nakshatra and moon sign by day
Alongside the tithi, every day shows the nakshatra the Moon occupies at sunrise and the moon sign (rashi) it is transiting. These change roughly once a day and are what you check first when picking a date for travel, a purchase, a naming ceremony or any new beginning.
Panchak, Gandmool and Bhadra
Below the calendar the page lists three sets of periods that recur every month and are traditionally avoided for certain activities:
- Panchak — the stretch when the Moon passes through the last five nakshatras (Dhanishtha's second half to Revati). Certain acts such as buying fuel, building a roof or travelling south are traditionally deferred.
- Gandmool — when the Moon is in one of the six "root" nakshatras (Ashwini, Ashlesha, Magha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Revati). A birth in Gandmool is marked for a small shanti ritual after 27 days.
- Bhadra (Vishti karana) — a karana considered inauspicious for auspicious beginnings; each occurrence is shown with its start and end time.
Why the monthly Panchang differs by city
Panchang is astronomical, not administrative. Sunrise and sunset depend on your latitude and longitude, and every limb is read from sunrise — so the same date can show a different tithi at sunrise in Delhi and in Chennai, and a festival can occasionally land on different days across regions. Always set your own city above before using the calendar to plan.
Using the monthly Panchang
- Plan the month — scan for Ekadashi, Purnima and Amavasya, and mark the Panchak and Bhadra windows to work around.
- Pick a muhurat — open a promising day and read its tithi, nakshatra and yoga together; then check the day's inauspicious windows in Choghadiya & Hora.
- Go deeper — the "Detailed Panchang" link opens the full daily reading for any date you tap.
New to the subject? Start with what the Panchang is and how its five limbs work, or read today's Panchang.