Shubh Muhurat

Frequently asked

How are these dates chosen?

Every date in the year is checked against five panchang limbs - vara, tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana - plus the seasonal bars. Rikta tithis, Amavasya, Bhadra (Vishti karana) and the inauspicious yogas are removed for every occasion; then each occasion's own nakshatra, tithi and weekday sets are applied. Nothing is hand-picked, so the same rules produce the same list every time.

Is a date from these lists a muhurat?

Not on its own. A muhurta is a window of time at a place - it needs the lagna rising at that moment, and often the chart of the person concerned. These lists narrow a year to the days that are eligible at all, which is most of the work, and then a panditji fixes the hour.

Why do the lists for different occasions look so different?

Because the rules genuinely differ. The nakshatras suitable for a wedding are not the ones suitable for buying a vehicle, and the bars that close part of the year differ too - Chaturmas defers a wedding but has no bearing on a vehicle purchase.

Which location are these computed for?

New Delhi, India (IST). Tithi and nakshatra change little across India, but sunrise, sunset and the exact moment a limb changes shift with longitude - so check your own city with the free panchang calculator before committing to a date near a boundary.