Two dates, one day
The large numeral on our daily sheet is the Gregorian date. Beside it, the Tamil month and day place that date in the Tamil solar calendar. These months do not start on the first of a Gregorian month, so September, for example, includes parts of Avani and Purattasi.
Start with the location
Look at the city shown above the sheet. Sunrise and sunset depend on location, and the daytime intervals shown here are calculated from those two times. Choosing Madurai instead of Chennai can change the displayed times even though both cities use Indian Standard Time.
Read the time as an interval
Rahu Kalam, Yamagandam and Kuligai are traditional divisions of the daylight period. Our calendar splits the time from local sunrise to sunset into eight equal parts and assigns the appropriate weekday segment. These are not the fixed ninety-minute slots printed in some calendars.
The Moon has its own rhythm
A tithi is a step in the changing angle between the Moon and the Sun. It does not have to begin at midnight or last exactly twenty-four hours. Our daily sheet names the tithi at sunrise and shows when it ends. A nakshatram identifies the Moon’s position in one of twenty-seven divisions of the sidereal zodiac.
Keep the tradition, check the convention
Printed calendars can follow different methods and observance rules. Our preview uses an astronomical calculation method, with a provisional sidereal correction. For a wedding, family ceremony or temple observance, confirm the applicable date and time with the person conducting it. The method page explains exactly what this edition does and does not calculate.