Aaj Ka Rahu Kaal — Live Timings & Choghadiya
Today's good and bad muhurat windows for New Delhi, shown in IST
Why Indians Watch Rahu Kaal
Before a griha pravesh, a new vehicle delivery, a property registration or setting out on a long journey, many Indian families first check the day's Rahu Kaal. It is a stretch of about one and a half hours governed by Rahu, the shadow graha, and fresh beginnings are traditionally kept out of it. Since it is reckoned from that day's sunrise and sunset, it never sits at one fixed hour on the clock.
The method is simple: take the daylight between sunrise and sunset, cut it into eight equal slices, and the weekday decides which slice belongs to Rahu — the second on Monday, for example, and the last one on Sunday. Longer summer days in Delhi make each slice longer than in December, so both the start time and the length drift through the year.
Choghadiya, popular with traders in Gujarat and Rajasthan for opening accounts or starting a sale, applies a similar eight-way split to both daytime and night. Every slot is labelled favourable, neutral or unfavourable, which makes it handy for day-to-day decisions when you have no pandit-fixed muhurat to follow.
Frequently asked questions
- When does Rahu Kaal start and end today?
- Look at the timing card at the top of this page. It is worked out fresh each day from New Delhi's real sunrise and sunset, so it will not match yesterday's figures or another city's.
- I live in Mumbai or Kolkata — can I use the Delhi timing?
- Only as a rough guide. All of India keeps one clock (IST), but the Sun rises noticeably earlier in Kolkata than in Mumbai, and Rahu Kaal follows local sunrise and sunset. Expect the window in eastern cities to begin earlier, and in western cities later, than the time shown here for Delhi.
- If my Choghadiya slot is good, can I ignore Rahu Kaal?
- Most families treat them as separate checks. Rahu Kaal marks a single daily window to steer clear of, while Choghadiya grades all sixteen day and night slots. People who follow both usually pick a favourable Choghadiya that does not overlap Rahu Kaal.
Planning something bigger today?
Open today's Hindu panchang for the tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana and vaar before you fix a time.