Today's Rahu Kala for Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India (Asia/Kolkata) is derived from sunrise at 05:57 and sunset at 18:32 local time. The inauspicious window is one of eight equal daylight segments between those two moments, so its clock times and duration follow Chennai's actual sky - not a fixed national schedule. Near the tropics, daylight length stays fairly balanced year-round, so each of the eight Rahu Kala segments changes less dramatically between seasons than in temperate cities.
What is Rahu Kala?
Rahu Kala (also spelled Rahu Kalam, Rahukalam, or Rahu Kaal) is a daily time slot linked to Rahu, the north node of the Moon in Vedic astrology. Tradition treats it as a period to avoid starting important new work - weddings, business openings, long journeys, major purchases, or auspicious ceremonies. It is not a whole-day prohibition; routine meals, commuting, and ongoing tasks are unaffected. The table on this page shows exactly when today's Rahu Kala begins and ends where you are.
How Rahu Kala is calculated
From local sunrise to local sunset, the daylight span is divided into eight equal parts. On a twelve-hour day each part lasts roughly ninety minutes, but the exact duration follows the real sky - longer in summer, shorter in winter. Rahu Kala occupies one of those eight segments, and which segment depends on the weekday. The same formula applies across India and abroad; only sunrise and sunset times change with city and date.
Which segment belongs to each weekday
Each weekday maps Rahu Kala to a fixed segment number counted from sunrise - not a fixed clock time on the wall.
Sunday and Monday
On Sunday, Rahu Kala falls in the eighth segment before sunset. On Monday, it falls in the second segment after sunrise. The clock times shift every day because the eight segments stretch and shrink with daylight length.
Tuesday through Thursday
Tuesday assigns Rahu Kala to the seventh segment, Wednesday to the fifth, and Thursday to the sixth. These weekday rules come from classical panchang tables and are consistent across most published calendars.
Friday and Saturday
Friday places Rahu Kala in the third segment after sunrise; Saturday places it in the first segment - the opening portion of the day. Many people check Saturday's slot carefully because it arrives soon after dawn.
Rahu Kala, Gulika Kalam, and Yamagandam
South Indian panchangams often list three daytime caution periods: Rahu Kala, Yamagandam, and Gulika Kalam. Each uses the same eight-part daylight division but assigns a different segment to each weekday. This page focuses on Rahu Kala; Gulika and Yamagandam appear in the full Panchangam view and Academy articles. Checking all three matters mainly for high-stakes beginnings; for everyday planning Rahu Kala is the period most people watch first.
What to pause and what to continue
Use Rahu Kala as a deliberate pause before irreversible starts - signing a deed, launching a product, departing on a pilgrimage, or fixing a wedding muhurta. Continuing work already in progress, school, office tasks, cooking, and rest are fine. Different families observe different strictness; the timings here are presented neutrally so you can follow your own custom.
How these timings are computed
Astronomical sunrise and sunset for your city come from Swiss Ephemeris and geographic coordinates, with Lahiri ayanamsa where needed for related panchanga elements. Daylight-saving rules come from the IANA timezone database. The result matches location-aware panchang apps and printed sheets when they use the same weekday segment table.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Rahu Kala today in Chennai?
- The table above shows today's Rahu Kala start and end times for Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. They are computed from sunrise at 05:57 and sunset at 18:32 on the selected date.
- How long is Rahu Kala in Chennai?
- It lasts one-eighth of the daylight span between today's sunrise and sunset. That duration changes with season and latitude, so Chennai's slot is not a fixed number of minutes every day of the year.
- Does Rahu Kala differ between Chennai and other cities in India?
- Yes. Different sunrise and sunset times shift every segment, including Rahu Kala, even when the weekday - and therefore which segment is assigned - is the same.
- Should I avoid all activity during Rahu Kala in Chennai?
- Tradition cautions against starting important new work in this window. Routine tasks, travel already underway, and ongoing commitments are generally fine; use the times above to plan fresh beginnings.