What is Rahu Kaal?
Rahu Kaal (also spelt Rahu Kalam) is a roughly 90-minute window each day that is traditionally avoided for starting anything auspicious — travel, a new venture, a purchase, a ceremony or signing an agreement. It is ruled by the shadow planet Rahu and is the most widely consulted of the day's inauspicious periods.
How Rahu Kaal is calculated
The daytime — from sunrise to sunset — is divided into eight equal parts. One of those eight parts is Rahu Kaal, and which part it is depends only on the weekday. Because it is measured from local sunrise, Rahu Kaal starts at a different clock time in each city and shifts slightly from day to day as sunrise moves. That is why the table above lists each city separately rather than giving one time for the whole country.
Rahu Kaal by weekday
Counting the eight daytime parts from sunrise, Rahu Kaal falls on the: 8th part on Sunday, 2nd on Monday, 7th on Tuesday, 5th on Wednesday, 6th on Thursday, 4th on Friday and 3rd on Saturday. With a sunrise near 6 a.m. and sunset near 6 p.m. this puts it around 4:30–6:00 p.m. on Sunday, 7:30–9:00 a.m. on Monday, and so on — but always check the exact window above for your city and date.
Yamaganda and Gulika Kaal
Two more inauspicious windows are found the same way from the eight daytime parts. Yamaganda is generally avoided for beginnings and important travel, and Gulika Kaal (ruled by Saturn's son Gulika/Mandi) is considered the most persistent in its effects — anything begun in it is said to recur. Both are shown for your location above.
Using Rahu Kaal
- Plan around it — avoid scheduling a muhurat, journey or signing in the Rahu Kaal window; pick a clear time before or after.
- It doesn't block routine work — ongoing tasks, daily duties and travel already under way are not governed by it; it applies to fresh beginnings.
- Cross-check the day — read it together with the day's tithi, nakshatra and yoga in today's Panchang, and the good windows in Choghadiya & Hora.
New to the subject? Start with what the Panchang is and how its five limbs work.