The table above shows today's Rahu Kala for your selected city - the inauspicious period associated with Rahu, calculated from local sunrise and sunset. You will see day and, where applicable, night timings with clear start and end clock times. Select Use current location (𖦏) to load Rahu Kala for your precise position; the table updates automatically. Because the window is one-eighth of actual daylight, its length changes with season and latitude.
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 right now?
- Find the row or highlighted interval in the table above whose time range includes the current clock time in your selected city. Switch city and date if needed; Rahu Kala changes with both.
- How long is Rahu Kala today?
- It is one-eighth of the time between today's local sunrise and sunset in your city. In summer that segment is longer than in winter at the same location.
- Is Rahu Kalam the same as Rahu Kala?
- Yes. Kalam and kaal are alternative spellings for the same period. Rahu Kalam, Rahu Kala, and Rahukalam all refer to this calculation.
- Does Rahu Kala happen at night?
- Some traditions also mark a related night period using the same eight-fold split between sunset and the next sunrise. When night timings appear in the table, they follow the same weekday rules applied to the night half of the day.
- Can I travel during Rahu Kala?
- Ongoing travel and routine commutes are generally acceptable. Tradition cautions against beginning a significant new journey - especially auspicious or once-in-a-lifetime travel - inside the window.
- Why is Rahu Kala different in another city?
- Sunrise and sunset differ by location, so the eight daylight segments - and therefore Rahu Kala's clock times - shift even on the same calendar date.
- Is Rahu Kala the same every week?
- The weekday determines which segment is Rahu Kala, so the pattern repeats weekly. Clock times still change daily because sunrise and sunset move with the season.
- How is Rahu Kala different from hora or choghadiya?
- Hora assigns planetary rulers to each hour from sunrise. Choghadiya labels eight slots per half-day as auspicious or not. Rahu Kala is one specific inauspicious segment in the eight-part daylight scheme tied to Rahu.
