The word Panchang comes from Sanskrit pancha (five) and anga (limb). A Panchang is a daily almanac that describes time not only by the clock but by the positions of the Sun and the Moon. For centuries it has guided the dates of festivals and fasts, the choice of auspicious times, and the rhythm of household rituals.

The five limbs

  • Tithi — the lunar day, based on the angular distance between the Moon and the Sun. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month. See Tithi explained.
  • Vara — the weekday, from Sunday (Ravivar) to Saturday (Shanivar), each associated with a planetary lord.
  • Nakshatra — the lunar mansion: one of 27 sections of the sky that the Moon passes through. See Nakshatra explained.
  • Yoga — one of 27 divisions derived from the combined longitudes of the Sun and the Moon.
  • Karana — half of a tithi; 60 karanas make up a lunar month. Yoga and karana are covered in Yoga and Karana.

The Hindu day runs from sunrise to sunrise

Unlike the civil day, which changes at midnight, the Panchang day begins at local sunrise and lasts until the next sunrise. That is why the vara changes at sunrise, and why the tithi or nakshatra "of the day" is usually the one prevailing at sunrise. Because sunrise depends on latitude and longitude, a Panchang is always calculated for a particular place — two cities can show different end times, and occasionally even a different tithi at sunrise.

What else a Panchang shows

Beyond the five limbs, a typical Panchang also lists:

  • Sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset times.
  • The lunar month (such as Chaitra or Kartika), the paksha (bright or dark fortnight), the samvat year and the season.
  • The Sun's and Moon's zodiac signs.
  • Periods traditionally considered auspicious, such as Abhijit Muhurat and Brahma Muhurat.
  • Periods traditionally avoided for new beginnings, such as Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda, Gulika, Dur Muhurat, Bhadra and Panchak.
  • Day-division systems like Choghadiya and Hora.

Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention — for example, whether months end at the new moon or the full moon — so two printed Panchangs can differ in small details.

How this platform calculates it

This site computes every element astronomically (Drik-ganita) for your chosen location, using the Lahiri ayanamsa by default and the sunrise-to-sunrise day. You can view today's full daily Panchang on the Panchang page, and read the details of our approach on the methodology page.