Today
26 Ashadh 2083 · Friday
A panchang (पंचांग) is the traditional Hindu almanac for a single day. The name means "five limbs", after its five core elements: tithi (lunar day), nakshatra (the lunar mansion the Moon occupies), yoga (a Sun–Moon angular combination), karana (half of a tithi) and vaar (weekday). Together they describe the astronomical character of the day and are consulted for festivals, fasting days, ceremonies and daily religious practice across Nepal.
Tithi is the lunar day — there are 30 in a lunar month, split into the bright half (shukla paksha, new moon to full moon) and the dark half (krishna paksha). Nakshatra is one of 27 star groups along the Moon's path; the Moon spends about a day in each. Yoga is one of 27 combinations computed from the joint motion of Sun and Moon. Karana is half a tithi; there are 11 karana names, seven of which cycle through the month. This page also shows masa (lunar month), ritu (season), ayana (the Sun's northward or southward course) and the samvatsara year name.
Alongside the five limbs, the page lists sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset for Kathmandu, plus the traditional day periods: abhijit muhurta (the auspicious midday window), rahu kaal, yamaganda and gulika (periods traditionally avoided for starting new work). Rahu kaal falls at a different time each weekday — it is roughly ninety minutes and its position rotates through the day across the week.
Every value is computed astronomically from the actual positions of the Sun and Moon, using the sidereal (nirayana) zodiac that Nepali and Indian panchangs follow, with timings resolved for Nepal's timezone and Kathmandu's coordinates. Because tithi and nakshatra boundaries fall at exact astronomical moments, a tithi can begin or end at any time of day — which is why printed patros mark the tithi's end time and why two neighbouring days sometimes share or skip a tithi. The date picker above opens this same full panchang for any Bikram Sambat date, past or future. Handy for finding an upcoming festival's tithi, or checking the nakshatra on a birth date.
Today's tithi is displayed at the top of this page along with paksha (bright or dark half). The tithi shown is the one prevailing at sunrise, following standard panchang convention.
Rahu kaal is a roughly ninety-minute period each day that tradition avoids for beginning new ventures, journeys or ceremonies. Its slot depends on the weekday — for example, it falls in the late morning on Monday and mid-afternoon on Tuesday. Today's exact rahu kaal window is listed in the day-periods section of this page.
A tithi is defined by the Moon gaining 12° on the Sun, which takes anywhere from about 20 to 26 hours. When a tithi starts just after one sunrise and ends before the next, it never touches a sunrise and gets skipped (kshaya); when it spans three sunrises it repeats (vriddhi). That's just how the moon moves — printed patros mark it the same way.
Yes. All timings — sunrise, sunset, rahu kaal, muhurta windows — are computed for Kathmandu's coordinates and Nepal Time (UTC+5:45). Panchang values for India or other countries can differ, since sunrise-dependent elements shift with location.
The current nakshatra is shown in the main panchang card, along with the Moon's rashi (sign). The Moon moves through all 27 nakshatras roughly every 27.3 days, spending about a day in each.
