Panchangam
Panchangam.
Almanac
Today's Tithi with the other limbs of the Panchangam for your city.
Lunar day
The Tithi is the lunar day of the Hindu calendar, measured by the angle between the Sun and the Moon. It decides festival dates, fasting days such as Ekadashi and Pradosham, and the auspiciousness of a day for ceremonies. See today's Tithi for your city, when it began and when it ends.
Each Tithi is the time the Moon takes to gain 12 degrees on the Sun. Because the Moon's speed varies, a Tithi can last from about 19 to 26 hours, so it rarely matches the clock day. A Tithi can begin at any hour, and occasionally one is skipped (Kshaya) or one covers two sunrises (Vriddhi).
The waxing fortnight (Shukla Paksha) runs from Pratipada to Purnima (full Moon); the waning fortnight (Krishna Paksha) runs from Pratipada to Amavasya (new Moon). The names: Pratipada, Dwitiya, Tritiya, Chaturthi, Panchami, Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Dwadashi, Trayodashi, Chaturdashi, repeat in both halves.
Tithis fall into five groups that repeat: Nanda (1, 6, 11) for joyful work, Bhadra (2, 7, 12) for steady work, Jaya (3, 8, 13) for overcoming obstacles, Rikta (4, 9, 14) usually avoided for beginnings, and Purna (5, 10, 15) for completion. Muhurta choices start with this grouping.
In most traditions the Tithi prevailing at local sunrise names the day. Some observances follow other rules: Ekadashi fasting looks at whether Dashami touches the dawn period, and some festivals follow the Tithi at midday or at night. That is why the same festival can fall on different dates in different cities.
Each Tithi has a presiding deity in the classical texts: Ganesha for Chaturthi, the Nagas for Panchami, Skanda (Murugan) for Shashthi, Durga for Ashtami, Vishnu for Ekadashi and Shiva for Chaturdashi among others. This is why Sankatahara Chaturthi honours Ganesha, Skanda Shashthi honours Murugan and Masik Shivaratri falls on Krishna Chaturdashi. Knowing the Tithi helps you follow these monthly observances through the year.
The current Tithi, its Paksha and its end time for your city are shown at the top of the page.
Tithis are based on the Sun and Moon, not on the clock, so they can begin and end at any time.
The 11th Tithi in each fortnight, widely observed as a fasting day dedicated to Vishnu.
The evening twilight on Trayodashi (13th Tithi), dedicated to Shiva.
The new-moon Tithi, observed for ancestors (Pitru Tarpanam).
The full-moon Tithi, used for many festivals and Satyanarayana Puja.
Chaturthi, Navami and Chaturdashi, generally avoided for new beginnings.
A Tithi that begins and ends between two sunrises, so it never names a day.
The bright (waxing) and dark (waning) halves of the lunar month.
The moment a Tithi ends is the same worldwide, but sunrise differs, so the Tithi that names the day can differ.
Yes. Open the monthly calendar.
No. Tamil and Malayalam months are solar, so their dates follow the Sun. The Tithi is lunar and runs alongside the solar date in the Panchangam.
The Tithi is the first filter: Rikta Tithis and Amavasya are usually avoided for auspicious starts.