Choghadiya

What is Choghadiya?

Choghadiya is a Vedic system for finding auspicious timings, widely used in western India for quick muhurat decisions — starting a journey, opening a shop, signing a document. The word comes from cho (four) and ghadi (a traditional unit of about 24 minutes), so one Choghadiya spans roughly 96 minutes, or one and a half hours.

The day from sunrise to sunset is divided into eight Choghadiya periods, and the night from sunset to the next sunrise into eight more. Since these are anchored to local sunrise and sunset rather than the clock, the periods shift through the year and differ by location.

The Seven Choghadiya Types

Each period is ruled by a planet and carries its character:

• Amrit (Moon) — the most auspicious; suitable for any important undertaking.
• Shubh (Jupiter) — auspicious; traditionally favoured for marriage, ceremonies and religious work.
• Labh (Mercury) — "gain"; favoured for business dealings, trade and new commercial ventures.
• Char (Venus) — "moving"; considered good for travel and any activity involving movement.
• Rog (Mars) — inauspicious; associated with illness and conflict, traditionally avoided. Sometimes used deliberately for confrontation or competition.
• Kaal (Saturn) — inauspicious; avoided for new beginnings, though considered acceptable for accumulation and saving.
• Udveg (Sun) — inauspicious; associated with anxiety and obstruction, though sometimes used for government-related work.

In general practice, Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Char are the favourable periods, while Rog, Kaal and Udveg are avoided for anything new.

Day and Night Choghadiya

The sequence of periods depends on the weekday, because each day begins with the Choghadiya ruled by that day's planet. Sunday's first day period is Udveg (Sun), Monday's is Amrit (Moon), Tuesday's is Rog (Mars), and so on through the week. The night sequence follows its own order, which is why the same Choghadiya name falls at very different clock times depending on the day.

This is also why a Choghadiya table cannot be memorised as fixed hours. It must be recalculated for each date and place from the actual sunrise and sunset.

How to Use the Choghadiya Calculator

Choose your date and city above. The calculator returns the complete day and night Choghadiya table with exact start and end times for each period, marked as auspicious or inauspicious, based on the true local sunrise and sunset for your coordinates.

For a fuller picture of the day — including Tithi, Nakshatra and Rahu Kaal — see the Panchang calculator. For hour-by-hour planetary rulership, the Hora calculator offers a complementary method of timing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Choghadiya is best for starting a journey?

Char is the period traditionally associated with travel, and Amrit, Shubh and Labh are all considered suitable. Udveg and Rog are usually avoided for departures.

What is the difference between Choghadiya and Rahu Kaal?

Both divide the daylight period, but differently. Choghadiya splits sunrise-to-sunset into eight periods of about 96 minutes each, each with its own character. Rahu Kaal is a single inauspicious segment of one-eighth of the day. They can overlap, and a Choghadiya that is otherwise favourable is generally still avoided if it coincides with Rahu Kaal.

Can I use Choghadiya at night?

Yes. The night from sunset to sunrise has its own set of eight periods, calculated separately from the day sequence. Both are shown in the results above.

Why do Choghadiya timings differ between cities?

Because they are derived from local sunrise and sunset. Two cities at the same longitude but different latitudes have different day lengths, so their Choghadiya periods differ in both start time and duration.