The panchang (panchangam) is the Hindu almanac. Its name means “five limbs” — five measures of each day that together decide when festivals fall and which times are good for ceremonies.
1. Tithi — the lunar day
A tithi is the time the Moon takes to move 12° ahead of the Sun. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month: 15 in the waxing Shukla paksha, ending with Purnima, and 15 in the waning Krishna paksha, ending with Amavasya. A tithi can start at any hour and lasts roughly 19 to 26 hours. The tithi running at sunrise gives its name to the whole day. Try the Tithi calculator.
2. Vaara — the weekday
The seven weekdays are named after the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. In the panchang the day runs from sunrise to sunrise, not midnight to midnight.
3. Nakshatra — the Moon’s star
The sky is divided into 27 nakshatras of 13°20′ each. The nakshatra of the day is the one the Moon is passing through. Your janma nakshatra (birth star) is the one the Moon was in when you were born — see the Nakshatra calculator.
4. Yoga
Yoga is found by adding the longitudes of the Sun and Moon; there are 27 yogas, from Vishkambha to Vaidhriti. Some, like Siddhi and Shubha, are considered auspicious.
5. Karana
A karana is half a tithi. There are 11 karanas; Vishti (Bhadra) is avoided for auspicious work.
Why the panchang changes with your city
Because the day starts at local sunrise, and times like Rahu Kalam are fractions of local daylight, the same date can show different timings in Hyderabad, Delhi or Chennai — and occasionally even a different festival day. Always check the panchang for your city.
Amanta and purnimanta months
South and West India (Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat) end the lunar month on Amavasya — the amanta system. Most of North India ends it on Purnima — purnimanta. Festivals are the same; only the month name in the Krishna paksha differs.