The table above shows today's Panchangam for your selected city - the five traditional limbs of the Hindu calendar as they apply at local sunrise. You will see tithi (lunar day), nakshatra (lunar mansion), yoga, karana, and the weekday (vara), along with sunrise, sunset, and moon timings where available. All values are computed for your location and date. Select Use current location (𖦏) to load the Panchangam for where you are; the table updates automatically.
What is Panchangam?
Panchangam (also written panchang, panchanga, or Hindu calendar) is the daily almanac used across India and the diaspora to align activities with traditional time. The word means five limbs - pancha (five) and anga (part). A complete Panchangam lists more than these five elements, but the core panchanga at sunrise is what most household calendars and apps show first. The table above gives that daily snapshot so you can see what the Vedic day looks like at dawn in your city without opening a printed sheet.
The five limbs of Panchanga
Each limb describes a different layer of the sky at a reference moment - usually local sunrise for civil Panchangam use. Together they tell you where the Moon and Sun sit in the lunar cycle and how traditional astrologers would characterise the day.
Tithi (lunar day)
Tithi tracks the angular distance between the Sun and Moon, divided into thirty phases from new moon to full moon and back. It is the limb most people notice first because festivals, fasts, and many muhurta rules refer to tithi by name - Ekadashi, Purnima, Amavasya, and so on.
Nakshatra (lunar mansion)
The Moon's nightly position among twenty-seven nakshatra is used for naming, compatibility, and electional astrology. Each nakshatra spans thirteen degrees twenty minutes of the ecliptic. The value shown is the nakshatra in effect at sunrise unless your tradition uses a different reference point.
Yoga
Yoga combines the longitudes of the Sun and Moon into one of twenty-seven composite indices. It is a finer synchronisation measure - less visible in everyday conversation than tithi, but still part of a full Panchangam printout.
Karana
Karana is half of a tithi - sixty karanas repeat across the lunar month. It refines timing for specialists; on a daily page it completes the classical five-limb set at sunrise.
Vara (weekday)
Vara is simply the day of the week, but in Jyotish each weekday belongs to a planet - Sunday to the Sun, Monday to the Moon, and so on. That planetary ruler also links the Panchangam to hora order, Rahu Kala segment choice, and other daily timing tools.
How Panchangam is calculated for your city
Traditional Panchangam is anchored to local sunrise because the Vedic day begins at dawn, not at midnight. Timings here use Swiss Ephemeris with Lahiri ayanamsa - the sidereal convention common in South Indian and many North Indian panchangams - and your city's coordinates for sunrise and sunset. When you change city or date above, tithi and nakshatra update to reflect the sky at that place; they are not national averages.
Panchangam and other daily timing tools
Panchangam tells you what the day is; it does not by itself label every hour good or bad. For that, people turn to Subha Hora (planetary hours), Subha Choghadiya, Gowri Panchangam in Tamil tradition, Rahu Kala, or Abhijit Muhurat. Think of this page as the daily identity card - tithi and nakshatra at sunrise - and the timing tools as overlays for when to act.
How to read today's table
Check tithi and nakshatra first if you are verifying a festival date or a priest's instruction. Note sunrise and sunset when comparing with hora or choghadiya tables - those tools divide the daylight between those two moments. Moonrise and moonset help plan evening arati or fast-breaking where tradition depends on the Moon's visibility.
How these timings are computed
Calculations use Swiss Ephemeris, Lahiri ayanamsa, and the IANA timezone database for daylight saving. Choosing a city page or changing the date above uses the same method, so the Chennai values you see match that city's sky on that date.
Frequently asked questions
- What is today's tithi?
- The tithi row in the table above shows the lunar day in effect at local sunrise for your selected city and date. Change the date or city controls at the top if you need another day or place.
- What is the difference between Panchangam and Panchang?
- They are the same concept - a daily Hindu almanac. Panchangam is the common South Indian spelling; panchang and panchanga appear widely in the North and in English. Titles here use Panchangam; panchanga refers to the five-limb technical set.
- Why does Panchangam use sunrise and not midnight?
- In traditional reckoning the calendar day rolls at local sunrise. Tithi and nakshatra shown for today are therefore the values at dawn in your city, which may differ from apps that reset at midnight.
- Does Panchangam change by city?
- Yes. Sunrise time differs by longitude and latitude, and the Moon's motion can shift tithi or nakshatra at different clock times in different places. Always use a Panchangam computed for your actual location.
- What is nakshatra used for?
- Nakshatra names the Moon's stellar segment. It appears in muhurta selection, naming traditions, and festival rules. The table shows the nakshatra at sunrise for quick daily reference.
- Is yoga or karana important for everyday use?
- For most household planning, tithi, nakshatra, and weekday matter most. Yoga and karana are included for completeness and for users whose priests or calendars reference them.
- How is this Panchangam different from a printed panchang?
- A printed sheet is often computed for one city. Here you can recalculate for any supported city and update instantly when you change date or location.
- Can I use this Panchangam outside India?
- Yes. Choose your city anywhere in the world. Sunrise, timezone, and daylight saving are handled for that location so the limbs of the panchanga match the local sky.