Panchangam means pancha (five) + anga (limb): a Hindu almanac that describes each day through five elements – tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana. All five are calculated from the positions of the Sun and the Moon. Telugu families use the panchangam to fix festivals, vratams, auspicious muhurthams and shraddha tithis.
The five limbs at a glance
| Limb | Based on | Total | Simple meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tithi | Distance between Sun and Moon | 30 (15 per paksha) | Lunar day |
| Vara | Sunrise to sunrise | 7 | Weekday |
| Nakshatra | Star segment occupied by the Moon | 27 | Moon's position |
| Yoga | Sum of Sun and Moon longitudes | 27 | Quality of the day |
| Karana | Half of a tithi | 11 | Half lunar day |
What is a tithi?
A tithi is the time the Moon takes to move 12 degrees further from the Sun. On Amavasya the Sun and Moon are almost together; the Moon then moves ahead until it stands opposite the Sun on Pournami. A lunar month has 30 tithis.
Shukla Paksha and Bahula Paksha
- Shukla Paksha: from Padyami after Amavasya up to Pournami – the 15 tithis of the waxing Moon.
- Bahula (Krishna) Paksha: from Padyami after Pournami up to Amavasya – the 15 tithis of the waning Moon.
The tithis are Padyami, Vidiya, Tadiya, Chavithi, Panchami, Shashti, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Dwadashi, Trayodashi, Chaturdashi, and then Pournami or Amavasya. Because the Moon's speed varies, tithis vary in length; sometimes a tithi touches two sunrises, and sometimes one touches none and is skipped (kshaya). Generally the tithi prevailing at sunrise is treated as the day's tithi, though some festivals follow special rules.
Vara and nakshatra
Vara
In the panchangam a day runs from one sunrise to the next, not midnight to midnight. The seven varas are named after seven of the navagrahas: Aadi (Ravi), Soma (Chandra), Mangala (Kuja), Budha, Guru, Shukra and Shani.
Nakshatra
The zodiac is divided into 27 equal parts of 13 degrees 20 minutes each. The part the Moon occupies is that day's nakshatra; the Moon crosses roughly one nakshatra a day. The nakshatra at the time of birth is one's janma nakshatra, used when reciting the sankalpam in pujas.
| 1–9 | 10–18 | 19–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Ashwini | Makha | Moola |
| Bharani | Pubba (Purva Phalguni) | Purvashadha |
| Krittika | Uttara (Uttara Phalguni) | Uttarashadha |
| Rohini | Hasta | Shravanam |
| Mrigashira | Chitta | Dhanishta |
| Ardra | Swati | Shatabhisham |
| Punarvasu | Vishakha | Purvabhadra |
| Pushyami | Anuradha | Uttarabhadra |
| Ashlesha | Jyeshtha | Revati |
Yoga and karana
Yoga
Adding the longitudes of the Sun and Moon and dividing the total into 27 parts gives the 27 yogas, from Vishkambha to Vaidhriti. Some are considered auspicious (such as Siddhi and Shubha) and some unsuitable for auspicious work (such as Vyatipata and Vaidhriti). These should not be confused with combinations like Amrita Yoga or Siddha Yoga, which come from weekday–nakshatra pairings.
Karana
A karana is half a tithi, so each tithi has two. There are 11 karanas: seven movable ones – Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Garaja, Vanija and Vishti (Bhadra) – which repeat through the month, and four fixed ones – Shakuni, Chatushpada, Naga and Kimstughna – which occur once around Amavasya. Vishti or Bhadra karana is generally avoided for auspicious work.
How to read a Telugu panchangam
Each day has a line or a page. Read it in this order:
- Samvatsaram, ayanam, ruthuvu: the year name in the 60-year cycle, Uttarayanam or Dakshinayanam, and one of six seasons.
- Masam and paksham: one of the 12 months from Chaitra to Phalguna; Shukla or Bahula.
- Tithi with its end time: e.g. Dashami until a given morning time, then Ekadashi.
- Vara.
- Nakshatra with its end time.
- Yoga and karana with their end times.
- Daily timings: sunrise, sunset, Rahu Kalam, Yamagandam, Durmuhurtham, Varjyam and Amrita Kalam.
Timings are calculated for a particular town. If your sunrise differs, times shift a little, so use a panchangam made for your region.
Telugu months
Chaitra, Vaishakha, Jyeshtha, Ashadha, Shravana, Bhadrapada, Ashwayuja, Karthika, Margashira, Pushya, Magha and Phalguna. Telugu regions follow the amanta system, where months end on Amavasya; much of North India follows purnimanta, where months end on Pournami. That is why the same festival can carry different month names in different regions.
Why the panchangam matters
- Festival dates such as Ugadi, Sri Rama Navami, Vinayaka Chavithi, Dasara and Deepavali are fixed by tithi.
- Muhurthams for marriage, gruhapravesham and upanayanam are chosen using it.
- Vratams like Ekadashi, Pradosham and Sankatahara Chaturthi are identified.
- Annual shraddha for elders is performed by tithi.
For important muhurthams, reading the panchangam alone is not enough – horoscopes and other factors are considered – so consult your family purohit.
Key points
- Panchangam = tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga, karana.
- A tithi is 12 degrees of Sun–Moon separation; 30 per lunar month.
- The day runs sunrise to sunrise.
- There are 27 nakshatras, 27 yogas and 11 karanas.
- Timings depend on location; use a local panchangam.