Kundali Basics: Lagna, 12 Houses, 9 Planets and How to Read the Chart

A kundali (also janma kundali or birth chart) is a diagram of where the Sun, Moon and planets were in the zodiac, relative to the horizon, at the exact time and place someone was born. It is calculated from three inputs: date of birth, time of birth and place of birth (latitude and longitude). Change any of them and the chart changes.

Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, fixed against the stars, rather than the tropical zodiac used in Western astrology, which is fixed against the seasons. The difference is called the ayanamsa and today it is about 24 degrees. Most Indian software uses the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa, which is also the one adopted by the Indian government's calendar reform committee. This is why a person's Vedic Sun sign is usually one sign earlier than their Western sign.

The Lagna (ascendant) is the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. It is the anchor of the entire chart — the first house — and it moves through all twelve signs in a day, spending on average about two hours in each. This is why birth time matters so much: two people born on the same day, an hour or two apart, can have different Lagnas and very different charts.

The chart is divided into twelve houses, each connected with an area of life. Reading traditionally begins with the house, its lord (the planet ruling the sign in it), and any planets occupying or looking at it.

• 1st: self, body, personality
• 2nd: family, speech, accumulated wealth
• 3rd: siblings, courage, effort
• 4th: mother, home, property, peace of mind
• 5th: children, education, creativity
• 6th: health, service, debts and competition
• 7th: marriage and partnerships
• 8th: transformation, longevity, inheritance
• 9th: fortune, dharma, higher learning, father
• 10th: career and public standing
• 11th: gains and friendships
• 12th: expenses, foreign lands, solitude and liberation

Jyotish uses nine "grahas": the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, plus Rahu and Ketu. Rahu and Ketu are not physical bodies but the two points where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's path, treated as planets in their own right. Each graha has a nature (benefic or malefic), signs it rules, signs in which it is strongest (exalted) or weakest (debilitated), and things it signifies — the Sun for the self and authority, the Moon for the mind, Mars for energy, Mercury for intellect, Jupiter for wisdom and growth, Venus for relationships and comfort, Saturn for discipline and time.

In Indian practice the Moon sign (Janma Rashi) and birth nakshatra are often more important than the Sun sign. Rashifal (horoscope columns), naming syllables, matching and Dasha timing are all based on the Moon. If you only know one thing about your chart, it is usually the Moon's sign and nakshatra.

The same chart can be drawn in different layouts. In the North Indian style the houses are fixed positions in a diamond-shaped grid — the Lagna is always the top centre diamond — and the signs rotate around it. In the South Indian style the twelve signs are fixed in boxes and the Lagna is marked in whichever box it falls. The content is identical; only the picture differs.

The most widely used timing system is Vimshottari Dasha, a 120-year cycle of nine planetary periods. The starting period is set by the Moon's nakshatra at birth, and each period is divided into sub-periods. Astrologers read what a period means by looking at the planet ruling it and how that planet is placed in the chart.

Use the birth time from a hospital record or birth certificate where possible; a few minutes' error can change divisional charts, and larger errors can change the Lagna. Software also differs on details such as house system and ayanamsa — this site uses the Lahiri ayanamsa with Equal houses measured from the Lagna degree, and other software may use whole-sign houses.

A kundali is a traditional framework for reflection, not a guarantee about the future. Important life decisions — medical, financial or legal — should not rest on it.