In one paragraph
Every day contains three traditionally inauspicious windows: Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika Kaal. All three are built the same way. The daytime, from sunrise to sunset, is divided into eight equal parts, and each window occupies one of those parts — a different one on each day of the week. Since the parts are measured from your own sunrise and sunset, the clock times differ from city to city and shift through the year.
One table for all three
| Weekday | Rahu Kaal | Yamaganda | Gulika Kaal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 8th part · 4:30 pm–6:00 pm | 5th part · 12:00 pm–1:30 pm | 7th part · 3:00 pm–4:30 pm |
| Monday | 2nd part · 7:30 am–9:00 am | 4th part · 10:30 am–12:00 pm | 6th part · 1:30 pm–3:00 pm |
| Tuesday | 7th part · 3:00 pm–4:30 pm | 3rd part · 9:00 am–10:30 am | 5th part · 12:00 pm–1:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 5th part · 12:00 pm–1:30 pm | 2nd part · 7:30 am–9:00 am | 4th part · 10:30 am–12:00 pm |
| Thursday | 6th part · 1:30 pm–3:00 pm | 1st part · 6:00 am–7:30 am | 3rd part · 9:00 am–10:30 am |
| Friday | 4th part · 10:30 am–12:00 pm | 7th part · 3:00 pm–4:30 pm | 2nd part · 7:30 am–9:00 am |
| Saturday | 3rd part · 9:00 am–10:30 am | 6th part · 1:30 pm–3:00 pm | 1st part · 6:00 am–7:30 am |
How to work out the times yourself
Take the length of the day — sunset minus sunrise — and divide it by eight. That is the length of one part. The first part begins at sunrise, the second begins where the first ends, and so on. Look up which part belongs to each window for the weekday, and you have the clock times.
A worked example: a Monday on which the Sun rises at 6:12 am and sets at 6:28 pm. The day is 12 hours 16 minutes long, so each part lasts 92 minutes. On a Monday Rahu Kaal is the 2nd part, Yamaganda the 4th and Gulika the 6th. That gives Rahu Kaal at 7:44 am–9:16 am, Yamaganda at 10:48 am–12:20 pm, and Gulika Kaal at 1:52 pm–3:24 pm.
Compare that with the table above, which assumes a 6:00 to 6:00 day: the windows fall in the same order but every boundary has moved. In midsummer or midwinter the difference from the "standard" times can easily exceed half an hour, which is why a printed table for another city or season is unreliable.
The pattern behind the table
The three columns are not random. Gulika runs backwards through the week from Saturn's own day: it takes the 1st part on Saturday, the 2nd on Friday, the 3rd on Thursday, and so on to the 7th on Sunday. Yamaganda follows the same backward step but starts from Thursday.
Rahu Kaal follows a different order, usually memorised with the phrase "Mother Saw Father Wearing The Turban on Sunday" — Monday, Saturday, Friday, Wednesday, Thursday, Tuesday, Sunday — for the 2nd through the 8th parts. Rahu Kaal never falls in the first part of the day, so sunrise itself is always clear of it.
What each one is avoided for
- Rahu Kaal is the most widely observed. It is avoided for starting anything new and important: a journey, a purchase, signing an agreement, launching a venture.
- Yamaganda, named for Yama, is avoided in the same way — in particular for setting out on journeys and for beginnings one hopes will last.
- Gulika Kaal, associated with Gulika (also called Mandi), a son of Saturn, carries a different idea: whatever is begun in it is said to recur. It is therefore avoided for events no one wants repeated, and in several South Indian traditions it is considered acceptable for things one would be glad to see repeated.
None of the three is meant to stop ordinary life. Work already in progress, routine tasks and emergencies are traditionally unaffected; the windows apply to the moment of beginning something significant.
Where the three sit together
Because each window is one-eighth of the day and no two of them ever share a part, the three together cover three-eighths — a little over a third of the daylight hours. The other five parts are free.
The Abhijit Muhurat around local noon is the window traditionally recommended when a good beginning is needed and no detailed muhurat has been worked out. It straddles the fourth and fifth parts of the day, so on some weekdays one of these three windows overlaps part of it — worth checking on the day rather than assuming.
Usage differs by region. Rahu Kaal is observed across India and most strictly in the south; Yamaganda and Gulika are consulted mainly in the southern states. North Indian practice more often turns to the Choghadiya for the same purpose.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika Kaal?
- All three are one-eighth of the daytime, falling in a different part of the day on each weekday. Rahu Kaal and Yamaganda are avoided for new beginnings; Gulika Kaal is avoided for events one would not want repeated. They are calculated identically and differ only in which part of the day they occupy.
- How long does each one last?
- One-eighth of the time between sunrise and sunset. That is exactly 90 minutes when the day is 12 hours long, somewhat more in summer and somewhat less in winter.
- Are the timings the same in every city?
- No. They are measured from the local sunrise and sunset, so they differ between cities and change day by day. Only the order — which part of the day on which weekday — is fixed.
- Is there a Rahu Kaal at night?
- The commonly observed Rahu Kaal is a daytime window. Some almanacs also compute night-time equivalents by dividing the night into eight parts, but these are far less widely followed.
- Can I continue work I have already started during these windows?
- Yes. Traditionally the windows concern the start of something new and important. Ongoing and routine activities are not considered affected.
Work it out for yourself
These tools compute what this guide explains, from real astronomical positions.
- Rahu Kaal Today →Today's Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika for any city, to the minute.
- Abhijit Muhurat →The auspicious midday window for your city.
- Choghadiya →The day and night muhurat table.
How this guide was written
The reference tables on this page are generated from the same data Astronaad’s calculators run on, so the guide and the tools cannot disagree. Where classical authorities differ, the text says so and names the convention Astronaad follows. Astrology is a traditional system of interpretation: nothing here is medical, legal or financial advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.