A janam kundli is a map of where the planets were in the sky at the moment you were born. Reading one starts with the Lagna: first see which zodiac sign occupies the 1st house, then look at the 9 planets placed in the 12 houses, and finally check which mahadasha is running now. To make an accurate kundli you need three things: the date of birth, the exact time of birth and the place of birth.
What birth details do you need for a kundli?
- Date of birth: day, month and year.
- Exact time of birth: as precise as possible, ideally from hospital records or the birth certificate.
- Place of birth: the city or town, so that its latitude, longitude and time zone can be used.
The Lagna changes roughly every two hours, and the whole structure of the kundli rests on it. So even a 10 to 15 minute error in birth time can sometimes change the chart, especially if the birth happened close to a change of Lagna.
Make your free janam kundliLagna, Navamsa and Chandra charts, planets, dasha, Manglik and Sade Sati — in the Achman app.Open in app →You can make a free janam kundli in the Achman app, which shows the Lagna, Navamsa and Chandra charts, planetary positions and Vimshottari dasha in one place. Keep your own chart open while you read this guide; it will make everything much easier to follow.
What is the Lagna, and how do you find it in a kundli?
The Lagna, or ascendant, is the zodiac sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the time of birth. It is the 1st house of the kundli and reflects your body, temperament and the overall direction of life.
In a North Indian chart, the diamond-shaped box at the top centre is always the 1st house. The number written in it is the sign of the Lagna: 1 Aries (Mesh), 2 Taurus (Vrishabh), 3 Gemini (Mithun), 4 Cancer (Kark), 5 Leo (Simha), 6 Virgo (Kanya), 7 Libra (Tula), 8 Scorpio (Vrishchik), 9 Sagittarius (Dhanu), 10 Capricorn (Makar), 11 Aquarius (Kumbh) and 12 Pisces (Meen). The other houses follow anticlockwise from there. A South Indian chart works the other way round: the signs stay in fixed boxes and the Lagna is marked separately.
What do the 12 houses (bhav) of a kundli mean?
- 1st house (Lagna): body, temperament and personality
- 2nd house: wealth, family and speech
- 3rd house: siblings, courage and short journeys
- 4th house: mother, home, vehicles and peace of mind
- 5th house: children, education and intelligence
- 6th house: illness, enemies, debts and competition
- 7th house: spouse, marriage and partnerships
- 8th house: longevity, sudden changes, hidden matters and inheritance
- 9th house: fortune, dharma, father, teachers and long journeys
- 10th house: karma, career and reputation
- 11th house: gains, income, elder siblings and wishes
- 12th house: expenses, foreign lands, sleep and moksha
Some astrologers also look at the 10th house for the father, alongside the 9th. Small differences like this between traditions are common.
What is the difference between rashi and lagna?
In Indian astrology, "rashi" usually means the Moon sign, the sign the Moon was in at birth. The daily rashifal in newspapers, the first letter of a traditional name and Shani's Sade Sati are all read from the Moon sign.
The Lagna is the rising sign and changes about every two hours, while the Moon stays in one sign for about two and a quarter days. So two people born on the same day can share a rashi but have different lagnas. The Western "sun sign" is a different thing from both.
What do the 9 grahas signify?
- Surya (Sun): soul, father, confidence and authority
- Chandra (Moon): mind, mother and emotions
- Mangal (Mars): energy, courage, land and younger siblings
- Budh (Mercury): intellect, speech, business and calculation
- Guru (Jupiter): wisdom, teachers, children and dharma
- Shukra (Venus): love, beauty, art, comforts and married life
- Shani (Saturn): hard work, discipline, patience, justice and delay
- Rahu: desires, sudden change, foreign connections and new things
- Ketu: detachment, spirituality and separation
A planet's effect depends on the house it sits in, the sign it occupies (own, exalted or debilitated), the planets it sits with and the houses it rules. So don't draw conclusions from one-line claims like "Saturn in the 7th means marriage trouble".
What is Vimshottari dasha?
Vimshottari dasha is a 120-year cycle that shows which planet's influence is stronger in each phase of life. Each planet's mahadasha lasts a fixed number of years, in this order: Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19 and Mercury 17.
The first mahadasha at birth belongs to the ruler of the nakshatra the Moon was in. Within every mahadasha, the nine planets each get an antardasha (sub-period) in turn. When reading a chart, you look at how the planet of the running dasha is placed in your kundli: which houses it rules and where it sits.
How should a beginner read a kundli? 5 simple steps
- Identify the Lagna sign and see where its ruling planet, the Lagnesh, is placed.
- Note which planets sit in which houses, especially the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th, called the kendra houses.
- Look at the Chandra (Moon) chart, since the Moon is linked with the mind and daily experience.
- Check the Navamsa chart alongside, for the real strength of planets and for marriage-related matters.
- Find the current mahadasha and antardasha, and study how those planets are placed.
Frequently asked questions
Can a kundli be made without the birth time?
Without the time, the date and place still give the planets' signs and a rough idea of the Moon sign. But the Lagna and houses cannot be fixed, so such a chart is considered incomplete. Some experienced astrologers try to estimate the birth time from major life events.
What is the difference between North and South Indian charts?
In the North Indian chart the houses are fixed: the top centre box is always the 1st house and the sign number is written inside it. In the South Indian chart the signs are fixed and the Lagna is marked separately. The planetary positions are identical; only the layout differs.
What is a Navamsa chart?
The Navamsa (D9) is a divisional chart made by splitting each sign into nine equal parts. It is used especially to judge the true strength of planets and matters of marriage and spouse. Astrologers usually read the Lagna chart and Navamsa together.
How do I find my rashi?
In Indian tradition your rashi is the sign the Moon was in at birth, so you need your date, time and place of birth. In your kundli, the sign number of the box where the Moon sits is your rashi. It is often different from your Western sun sign.
Which house is the most important in a kundli?
The 1st house, the Lagna, is considered the most important because the whole chart starts from it. After that, the kendra houses (4th, 7th and 10th) and the trikona houses (5th and 9th) carry special weight. Still, the house you study depends on the question, such as the 7th for marriage and the 10th for career.
By Achman Team · Updated