Birth Chart (Kundli)

A Vedic birth chart, called a kundli or janma patrika, is a map of the sky at the exact minute and place you were born. Unlike the Sun-sign astrology most people in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia grew up with, Jyotish uses the sidereal zodiac, which is aligned with the fixed stars. The difference today is roughly 24 degrees, so many people discover that their Vedic Sun sign is one sign earlier than the one in magazines. Our calculator applies the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa, the standard adopted by the Government of India's calendar reform committee and used by most practising astrologers.

The most important point in the chart is the Lagna, or ascendant: the sign rising on the eastern horizon when you were born. The Lagna changes roughly every two hours, which is why an accurate birth time matters so much. From the Lagna we number the twelve houses (bhavas) using whole signs, the traditional Parashari method. Each house describes an area of life — self, wealth, siblings, home, children, health, partnership, transformation, fortune, career, gains and release.

Into these houses we place the nine grahas: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu. For each graha the table shows its sign, exact degree, nakshatra and pada, the house it occupies, whether it is retrograde, and its dignity (exalted, debilitated or in its own sign). These details are the raw material any astrologer uses for interpretation.

You can view the chart in two classic layouts. The North Indian diamond keeps the houses fixed and writes sign numbers inside them, so the first house is always the top centre diamond. The South Indian square keeps the signs fixed — Pisces is always top-left — and marks the Lagna with a diagonal line. Both show identical information; families from the north usually read the diamond, while families from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra and Kerala are used to the square.

We also draw the Navamsa (D9), the ninth divisional chart. Each sign is split into nine parts of 3°20', and the Navamsa shows how the promise of the birth chart matures, especially in marriage and dharma. A planet that is strong in both charts is considered especially reliable. Everything is calculated in your browser with an open-source astronomy library, so your birth details never leave your device unless you choose to book a consultation.

Use this chart as a starting point for self-reflection. A chart cannot decide your future for you; it describes tendencies and timing. For a personal reading, our pandits can walk you through your chart over video in English or Hindi.