Panchang Calculator

The Panchang — literally "five limbs" — is the traditional Vedic almanac that reads a moment through five interlocking cycles: **tithi** (lunar day), **vara** (weekday), **nakshatra** (lunar mansion), **yoga** (sun-moon combination), and **karana** (half-tithi). This calculator computes all five for any date, time, and place — not only for a birth chart — alongside that day's sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset.

Ayanamsa: Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) · Computes the five limbs (tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga, karana) for any date, time, and place — not limited to a birth chart

4.8 average · 50 reviews

Creator

James Whitfield

Reviewers

Sarah Mitchell, M.A. in Cultural Astronomy & Astrology and Marcus Reynolds, Professional Astrologer & Astronomer

Based on 5 sources

127 people find this calculator helpful

Last updated: May 9, 2025

What the Five Limbs Actually Measure

Tithi tracks the Moon's angular distance from the Sun (30 steps of 12° each) and governs which activities a day favors classically. Vara is simply the civil weekday, each ruled by a planet. Nakshatra is the Moon's specific 13°20' lunar mansion, one of 27. Yoga tracks the SUMMED longitude of Sun and Moon (27 steps), a more subtle limb often overlooked outside serious practice. Karana is a half-tithi (60 per lunar month), used specifically for auspicious-timing screening.

Why This Calculator Isn't Tied to a Birth Chart

Most panchang tools on this site's birth-chart calculators show the five limbs AT BIRTH. This calculator instead answers a different, everyday question — "what is today's (or any date's) panchang for my location?" — the same lookup priests, astrologers, and practitioners perform daily to plan rituals, travel, and important decisions.

How This Feeds the Rest of the Muhurta Group

Every other calculator in this Panchang & Muhurta group — Choghadiya, Rahu Kalam, Yamagandam, Abhijit Muhurat, Hora, and the general Muhurta screening — is built from the same underlying sunrise/sunset computation and civil weekday this calculator surfaces directly.

Panchang Calculator FAQs

What are the five limbs of the panchang?

Tithi (lunar day), vara (weekday), nakshatra (lunar mansion), yoga (sun-moon combination), and karana (half-tithi) — the five cyclical measures that together describe any given moment in the Vedic calendar system.

Can I check the panchang for a future date?

Yes — this calculator accepts any date, not just today or a past birth date, computing the same ephemeris-based five limbs for whichever date and place you enter.

Why does the panchang matter for choosing dates?

Classical Vedic practice reads specific tithi/nakshatra/yoga/karana combinations as more or less favorable for particular activities — weddings, travel, groundbreaking — which is the basis of electional (muhurta) astrology.

Is the panchang the same everywhere in the world for a given date?

No — because it depends on sunrise/sunset and the Moon's exact position, the specific tithi/nakshatra boundaries (and which civil day they fall on) can shift by location, which is why this calculator asks for a place, not just a date.

What is the difference between tithi and karana?

Tithi divides the lunar month into 30 twelve-degree steps; karana divides it into 60 six-degree steps (two karanas per tithi) — karana is the finer subdivision, used specifically for auspicious-timing (muhurta) screening.

Related Panchang & Muhurta Calculators

Sunrise & Sunset Calculator

Calculates precise sunrise and sunset times for any date and location, the anchor points for panchang calculations.

Moonrise & Moonset Calculator

Calculates precise moonrise and moonset times for any date and location using sidereal lunar ephemeris.

Choghadiya Calculator

Divides the day and night into eight Choghadiya periods and labels each as auspicious or inauspicious for activities.

Rahu Kalam Calculator

Calculates the daily Rahu Kalam window — an inauspicious period to avoid for starting new activities.

Yamagandam Calculator

Calculates the daily Yamagandam window — another inauspicious period traditionally avoided for important undertakings.

Abhijit Muhurat Calculator

Calculates the daily Abhijit Muhurat — the auspicious midday window considered favorable for most new beginnings.

Hora Calculator

Calculates the planetary Hora ruling any hour of the day or night, used for choosing the right moment for an activity.

Muhurta Calculator

Finds an auspicious Muhurta for a chosen activity by screening tithi, nakshatra, yoga, and karana together.