What Panchangam records
Panchangam is a traditional Hindu almanac that combines five astronomical-calendar elements. The word is commonly explained as “five limbs”. A daily Panchangam entry is not simply a list of fixed values for a Gregorian date: the relevant elements change at different times, and the displayed day may follow a local sunrise convention.
For a meaningful comparison, note the location, time zone, sunrise rule and whether the page shows the value at sunrise or the transition time during the day. Two Panchangams can appear different if one shows the running element and the other shows the element at sunrise.
The five limbs
| Element | What it describes | How it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Tithi | A lunar day based on the angular separation of the Sun and Moon | Each tithi spans 12 degrees of their relative longitude; it can begin or end at any local clock time |
| Vara | The weekday label for the selected civil date | SMV currently derives this label from the selected Gregorian date; traditional sunrise-based day conventions are a separate rule |
| Nakshatra | The Nakshatra occupied by the Moon | It changes when the Moon crosses the next sidereal Nakshatra boundary |
| Yoga | A division derived from the sum of the Sun's and Moon's longitudes | It changes when that combined longitude crosses the next 13°20′ division |
| Karana | Half of a tithi | One karana spans 6 degrees of the Sun–Moon separation; the sequence follows a traditional repeating pattern |
Why end times matter
A tithi can end after sunrise or before the next sunrise. The same is true for a Nakshatra, Yoga or Karana. A Panchangam that prints “Tithi until 14:20” is describing a transition time, not saying the tithi lasts only for the first part of a date. If a date is used for a traditional observance, the prescribed rule may depend on whether the element is present at sunrise, during a specific period or at another rule-defined time.
Do not assume every festival or observance uses the same selection rule. Some traditions consider sunrise presence; others use a specified moment, conjunction or interval. A local calendar should explain the rule when the result is intended for a particular observance.
Location and time-zone settings
Sunrise and sunset depend on latitude, longitude and date. Time-zone rules determine how the astronomical instant is displayed on a civil clock. Therefore, the same global event may have a different local clock time in two cities. Selecting a nearby city is not always equivalent to selecting the actual birthplace or observance location, especially across a wide region.
When checking a calendar result, verify the city, coordinates, local date and displayed time zone. If the page provides the transition time in local time, compare it with a second source using the same location before assuming there is a calculation error.
தமிழில் சுருக்கம்
பஞ்சாங்கத்தின் ஐந்து அங்கங்கள் திதி, வாரம், நட்சத்திரம், யோகம், கரணம். இவை அனைத்தும் ஒரே நேரத்தில் மாறுவதில்லை. திதி அல்லது நட்சத்திரம் சூரிய உதயத்திற்கு முன்போ பின்னரோ மாறலாம். ஆகவே நகரம், அட்சரேகை, தீர்க்கரேகை, நேர மண்டலம் மற்றும் அன்றைய பஞ்சாங்கம் எந்த நேரத்தை அடிப்படையாகக் காட்டுகிறது என்பதைச் சரிபார்க்க வேண்டும்.
Check the angular calculation with a worked example
The SMV Panchang calculation uses the Sun and Moon sidereal longitudes. Let S be the Sun's longitude and M the Moon's longitude, each expressed from 0° to 360°:
- Tithi: floor(((M − S) mod 360°) ÷ 12°) + 1.
- Karana interval: floor(((M − S) mod 360°) ÷ 6°); each interval is half a tithi.
- Yoga: floor(((M + S) mod 360°) ÷ 13°20′) + 1.
- Nakshatra: divide the Moon's longitude into 27 equal spans of 13°20′; divide the current span into four 3°20′ padas.
The calculation finds transition times by evaluating the relevant solar/lunar longitude state around the selected instant and narrowing the interval where the segment changes. Therefore, the transition time is dependent on the selected date, time zone and coordinates; an example with round longitudes does not specify an actual transition clock time.
How SMV assigns Vara and sunrise information
The current SMV Panchang calculation derives Vara from the weekday of the selected Gregorian civil date. Sunrise and sunset are calculated separately using the selected location and are used for local day-part information. Traditional Panchangam systems may assign a ritual day by sunrise or apply additional observance-specific rules. The weekday label alone should not be treated as a complete festival or muhurta decision.
To compare SMV results with another almanac, first match the location, date, time-zone offset and displayed instant. Then compare the Sun/Moon longitudes, tithi, yoga and Nakshatra boundaries. See the SMV calculation-method guide for the formulas and full technical flow.