Panchang
Choghadiya
Day and night Gauri Choghadiya — eight slices of sunlight and eight of darkness, each labelled auspicious or not.
Detecting your location and loading Panchang…
What Choghadiya Is
Choghadiya is a traditional way of choosing a good time for everyday actions. Daylight is split into eight equal periods and night into another eight, and each period carries one of seven names that marks it as favourable or unfavourable. It is especially popular in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra for travel, trade and starting new work.
The free Choghadiya calculator on GyaaniJyotish lists all sixteen day and night periods for your city and date, with no sign-in.
How to Read the Choghadiya Table
The Choghadiya section shows two lists side by side, Day and Night. Each row gives the period's name and its start and end in 24-hour local time. Favourable periods are lightly tinted so you can spot them quickly. The same favourable periods also appear in the Auspicious timings section, labelled with day or night.
The seven Choghadiya types and their traditional nature:
| Choghadiya | Meaning | Traditional nature | Often chosen for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amrit | Nectar | Favourable | Almost any good work |
| Shubha (Shubh) | Auspicious | Favourable | Ceremonies, marriage, study |
| Laabha (Labh) | Gain | Favourable | Business, trade, learning |
| Chara (Char) | Moving | Favourable | Travel and journeys |
| Udveg | Anxiety | Unfavourable | Usually avoided |
| Rog | Illness | Unfavourable | Usually avoided |
| Kaala (Kaal) | Loss | Unfavourable | Usually avoided |
Some traditions treat Chara as neutral rather than favourable, keeping it mainly for travel. This page marks it as favourable.
How the Periods Change
Each day Choghadiya is one-eighth of the time from sunrise to sunset, and each night Choghadiya is one-eighth of the time from sunset to the next sunrise. In summer the day periods are longer than 90 minutes and the night periods shorter; in winter the reverse. The sequence also depends on the weekday, because the first period of the day belongs to the planet that rules that weekday. So the same clock time can fall in Amrit on one day and in Kaala on another.
Common Questions
What is the difference between Choghadiya and Hora?
Choghadiya splits daylight into eight periods and names them by their quality. Hora splits it into twelve and assigns each to a planet. Many people use Choghadiya for a quick yes or no on timing and Hora when the nature of the work matters.
Should I still avoid Rahu Kaal during a good Choghadiya?
Many families do. When an Amrit or Shubha period overlaps Rahu Kalam, the usual practice is to use the part of the Choghadiya that falls outside Rahu Kalam.
Which Choghadiya is best for travel?
Chara, the moving Choghadiya, is the traditional choice for setting out on a journey, with Amrit, Shubha and Laabha also considered good.
Can someone help me choose between two good periods?
Yes. GyaaniJyotish AI astrologers can compare the options against your birth chart and the day's other timings by chat in ten Indian languages; voice is available in English, Hindi and Tamil.