How We Calculate Panchang & Festival Timings

Every sunrise, moonrise, and muhurta window on Hindu Hub’s festival pages is computed, not copied. This page documents exactly how — so you can trust (and verify) the numbers.

The calculation engine

Sun and moon positions come from astronomy-engine, a high-precision implementation of NASA/JPL ephemeris models. Sidereal positions (tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana) use the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa, the standard followed by the Government of India’s calendar. Panchang limbs are evaluated at local sunrise, the traditional convention for the day’s tithi and nakshatra.

What we compute per city

For each city we calculate, for that festival’s exact date and the city’s latitude, longitude and timezone:

Sunrise and sunset
Moonrise and moonset
Rahu Kaal, Gulika Kaal, Yamaganda (inauspicious windows)
Brahma Muhurta and Abhijit Muhurta (auspicious windows)

Because these are computed from the actual ephemeris for each location, the timings are genuinely different city to city — Moonrise on Karva Chauth in New York is not Moonrise in Mumbai.

What we do not compute per city

A festival’s specific puja muhurat (for example the Lakshmi Puja window on Diwali) depends on festival-specific scriptural rules, not just astronomy. We show the traditional muhurat as a clearly-labelled New Delhi reference, sourced from authoritative panchang references and cross-checked against a second source. We deliberately do not fabricate a per-city puja muhurat we have not verified.

Review & sources

Festival dates are sourced from Drik Panchang and cross-checked against calendarlabs.com / prokerala.com. Computed timings are reviewed by Pandit Vikram Singh, Vedic Scholar & Temple Priest. Last reviewed: June 2026.

Spot a timing that looks off? Browse festivals and tell us — accuracy in religious timing matters, and we correct promptly.