What is the Panchanga, really?

Panchanga literally means “five limbs” (pancha + anga). It is the traditional Hindu almanac, and each day is described by five measures of where the Sun and Moon sit in the sky. Long before printed calendars, these five told a family when to fast, when to begin, and when to wait.

The five limbs

• ◆Tithi — the lunar day, set by the angular distance between the Sun and Moon. There are thirty in a lunar month, fifteen in each paksha (waxing and waning).
• ◆Vara — the weekday, each ruled by a graha.
• ◆Nakshatra — the lunar mansion the Moon occupies; there are twenty-seven, each about 13°20′ of the zodiac.
• ◆Yoga — a combined measure of the Sun and Moon's longitudes; twenty-seven in all.
• ◆Karana — half a tithi; there are eleven, repeating through the month.

Why the end-times matter

A tithi or nakshatra rarely lines up with the clock. It might begin at 8:29 in the morning and give way to the next by mid-afternoon. That is why Sannidhana always shows you the moment each limb ends — the day's quality shifts as the Moon moves.

The five limbs are astronomy first and interpretation second. Our engine computes them with the Swiss Ephemeris on the Lahiri ayanamsa, then cross-checks the results against published Drik Panchang values. The reading that follows is gentle guidance — never a command.