Choghadiya Muhurat Explained: How to Read the Day and Night Choghadiya Table

Quick answer: Choghadiya divides the time from local sunrise to sunset into eight equal periods, and sunset to the next sunrise into eight more. Each period is one of seven types: Amrit, Shubh and Labh (auspicious), Char (neutral, good for travel), and Udveg, Kaal and Rog (inauspicious), as traditionally classed. The first period of the day is set by the weekday, and the rest follow a fixed order. Always calculate it from your own city's sunrise and sunset.

What Choghadiya is

Choghadiya (also spelled Chaughadiya or Chogadia) is a simple muhurta system for choosing a good time to begin something. It is especially popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan and among Gujarati and Marwari business communities worldwide, who check it before opening a shop, starting a journey, signing a deal, buying gold or doing Chopda Pujan at Diwali. The name is usually explained as "four ghadis" (a ghadi, or ghatika, is 24 minutes), roughly the length of each period.

Each of the seven types is traditionally linked with one of the seven weekday planets, which is why the sequence depends on the day of the week.

The seven types of Choghadiya

Different calendars add small notes, such as some treating Udveg as acceptable for government work, but the broad classification above is standard.

Day Choghadiya: the weekday table

Read across the row for the weekday. Period 1 starts at local sunrise and period 8 ends at local sunset.

The pattern: the day begins with the Choghadiya of the weekday's planet (Sunday the Sun's Udveg, Monday the Moon's Amrit, and so on), then always follows the order Udveg, Char, Labh, Amrit, Kaal, Shubh, Rog. Because there are eight periods and seven types, the eighth period repeats the first.

Night Choghadiya: the weekday table

Period 1 starts at local sunset and period 8 ends at the next sunrise. The weekday is the one on which the night begins.

The night follows a different order: Shubh, Amrit, Char, Rog, Kaal, Labh, Udveg. It starts with the Choghadiya of the fifth weekday counted from the day (Sunday night starts with Thursday's Shubh, Monday night with Friday's Char, and so on), and again the eighth period repeats the first.

How to calculate Choghadiya for your city

• Step 1: find today's local sunrise and sunset, and tomorrow's sunrise.
• Step 2: day period = (sunset minus sunrise) divided by 8; night period = (next sunrise minus sunset) divided by 8.
• Step 3: add the period length repeatedly from sunrise (or sunset) and label each slot from the table.

Worked example

Suppose that on a Wednesday, sunrise is at 6:20 AM and sunset at 6:12 PM (example figures, not a real forecast). The day is 712 minutes, so each Choghadiya is 89 minutes:

On this day, a family wanting to open a new shop might choose the Amrit period (7:49 to 9:18 AM) or the Shubh period before noon, and someone setting out on a trip might prefer Char in the afternoon. Notice that Wednesday's Rahu Kalam is the 5th part of the day, which here coincides with Rog, so both systems agree on avoiding it.

Choghadiya vs Rahu Kalam vs festival muhurats

For major festivals, the festival's own muhurat comes first. Diwali Lakshmi Puja, for example, is traditionally done in Pradosh Kaal with a fixed (sthira) lagna on Amavasya, which in 2026 falls on Sunday 8 November. Many Gujarati families also note the Choghadiya that day for Chopda Pujan. See the Diwali 2026 Lakshmi Puja muhurat guide, and Diwali in Gujarat for the regional customs.

For how Choghadiya fits into the wider almanac of tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana, read our panchang guide.

For NRI families: local sunrise only

In the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia or the Gulf, use a Choghadiya calculated for your own city. Never convert India's Choghadiya times to your time zone; the periods depend on your local sun. In high-latitude cities such as London or Toronto, day periods can stretch to around two hours in midsummer and shrink to about an hour in midwinter, and the times jump an hour on the clock when daylight saving starts or ends.

Choghadiya is a practice of tradition and devotion. If a flight, an exam or a hospital appointment falls in Kaal or Rog, there is no need for anxiety; many people simply begin with a short prayer, such as the Navagraha Stotram, and carry on.

Frequently asked questions

Which Choghadiya is best?

Amrit, Shubh and Labh are traditionally considered auspicious, with Amrit often called the best for any good work, Shubh favoured for ceremonies and Labh for business and learning. Char is considered good for travel and is otherwise neutral. Udveg, Kaal and Rog are traditionally avoided for new beginnings.

How long is one Choghadiya?

One eighth of the day (sunrise to sunset) or of the night (sunset to next sunrise). On a 12-hour day that is 90 minutes, but in summer or winter, and especially outside the tropics, it can be noticeably longer or shorter.

Is Choghadiya the same as Rahu Kalam?

No. Both divide the day into eight parts, but Rahu Kalam marks one inauspicious part each day, while Choghadiya labels all eight parts of the day and all eight of the night. They are independent, so a Labh Choghadiya can overlap Rahu Kalam. Gujarati and Rajasthani families usually follow Choghadiya; many South Indian families follow Rahu Kalam.

Can I use Choghadiya for a wedding or griha pravesh?

Choghadiya is mostly used for everyday decisions such as travel, purchases, opening a shop or starting work. Weddings, house-warmings and upanayanam are traditionally fixed with a full muhurta that considers tithi, nakshatra, lagna and more, so families ask an astrologer or priest for those.

Why is the Choghadiya in my city different from India?

Because it is calculated from local sunrise and sunset. Use a Choghadiya for your own city, or calculate it yourself; never convert India's Choghadiya times to your time zone.

Why does Choghadiya sometimes show Kaal Vela or Kaal Ratri?

Some panchangs mark additional periods called Vaar Vela, Kaal Vela and Kaal Ratri, which are traditionally avoided even if they fall within a good Choghadiya. Not every calendar shows them; follow the one your family uses.

Editor's note (9 October 2026)

The day and night tables follow the standard Choghadiya sequences used by Gujarati and North Indian panchangs, generated from the fixed day and night orders and checked weekday by weekday. The worked example uses invented sunrise and sunset times. Classifications are given as traditionally described; some calendars add Vaar Vela, Kaal Vela and Kaal Ratri, which we mention but do not tabulate. Diwali 2026 is Sunday 8 November per Drik Panchang. Check a panchang set to your own location for actual times.

Related guides

• Rahu Kalam, Yamagandam and Gulika Kalam explained
• What is a panchang? The five limbs explained
• What is a tithi? The 30 tithis explained
• Diwali 2026: date and Lakshmi Puja muhurat
• Chopda Puja 2026: the business puja for Diwali
• Navagraha Stotram: lyrics, meaning and benefits