Short answer: Rahu kaal is one eighth of the daylight, and the weekday decides which eighth. On a 6 to 6 day it falls at 7:30 to 9 Monday, 3 to 4:30 Tuesday, 12 to 1:30 Wednesday, 1:30 to 3 Thursday, 10:30 to 12 Friday, 9 to 10:30 Saturday and 4:30 to 6 Sunday.
Updated 8 November 2026
What is Rahu kaal?
Rahu is the north node of the Moon, a shadow point rather than a body you can see. Jyotish counts it among the nine grahas and gives it a reputation for confusion, delay and things not being what they appear. Rahu kaal, also written Rahu kalam or Rahu kal, is the slice of each day set aside for it. Starting something important inside that slice is traditionally avoided.
It is one of the most widely followed rules in South India. In Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad you will see it printed on the daily calendar sheet, on temple notice boards, and in the morning newspaper. Many families here will not leave for a first job interview or take delivery of a car inside it, and some offices quietly avoid scheduling a launch in that window.
Rahu kaal timings for each weekday
The table below uses the standard simplification of a day from 6 am to 6 pm. Each part is then exactly ninety minutes long. I have put Yamaganda and Gulika alongside, since most panchangs print all three together.
| Weekday | Rahu kaal (part of day) | Rahu kaal on a 6 to 6 day | Yamaganda | Gulika |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 2nd | 7:30 am to 9:00 am | 10:30 am to 12:00 pm | 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm |
| Tuesday | 7th | 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm | 9:00 am to 10:30 am | 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 5th | 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm | 7:30 am to 9:00 am | 10:30 am to 12:00 pm |
| Thursday | 6th | 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm | 6:00 am to 7:30 am | 9:00 am to 10:30 am |
| Friday | 4th | 10:30 am to 12:00 pm | 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm | 7:30 am to 9:00 am |
| Saturday | 3rd | 9:00 am to 10:30 am | 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm | 6:00 am to 7:30 am |
| Sunday | 8th | 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm | 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm | 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm |
An old memory line many grandparents use goes “Mother Saw Father Wearing The Turban Suitably”. Read the first letters in order (Mon, Sat, Fri, Wed, Thu, Tue, Sun) and you have the weekdays from the 2nd part of the day to the 8th. The first part of the day never holds Rahu kaal.
How to adjust Rahu kaal for your own sunrise
Real days are not 6 to 6. To get the actual window:
- Note sunrise and sunset for your city on that date.
- Find the length of daylight and divide it by eight.
- Count that many parts forward from sunrise. For a Monday you want the 2nd part, for a Sunday the 8th, and so on, using the table above.
That is the method every panchang uses. It is also why the printed newspaper time in Bengaluru and the one in Delhi do not match, and why the times creep through the year.
Bengaluru example: three Mondays in 2027
Here are three real Mondays in Bengaluru, worked out from that day’s sunrise and sunset. Monday’s Rahu kaal is always the 2nd eighth of the day.
| Date | Sunrise (about) | Sunset (about) | One part | Rahu kaal (about) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 18 Jan 2027 | 6:46 am | 6:14 pm | 86 min | 8:12 am to 9:38 am |
| Mon 15 Mar 2027 | 6:28 am | 6:30 pm | 90 min | 7:58 am to 9:28 am |
| Mon 21 Jun 2027 | 5:55 am | 6:48 pm | 97 min | 7:31 am to 9:08 am |
In January the window starts more than forty minutes later than the newspaper’s round “7:30” would suggest. If you went by the 6 am rule that week, you would think you were clear at 8:15 when you were sitting right inside it. The minutes change daily, so for the date you have in mind take the exact figure from a panchang set to your city.
What to avoid during Rahu kaal, and what is fine
Rahu kaal is a rule about beginnings. It is not a curse on everything that happens in those ninety minutes.
I would avoid starting in it:
- A new business, a shop opening or a product launch
- Signing a property deal, a loan or a partnership agreement
- Taking delivery of a vehicle, a common question my vehicle purchase muhurat page covers
- Griha pravesh, an engagement, or leaving home for a long trip
- Sending in a job application or an important proposal, if you can wait
Perfectly fine:
- Anything already under way, such as a meeting that started earlier or a day at work
- Routine chores, cooking, study, exercise and errands
- Travel that cannot be moved. If a flight is at 8 am on a Monday, take it
- Prayer. Several temples in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu hold special Durga and Rahu worship exactly in this window
A medical appointment or an emergency is never something to delay for Rahu kaal. See the doctor when you need to.
Yamaganda and Gulika kaal, in short
Yamaganda (also Yamagandam) is the part of the day tied to Yama. It is treated much like Rahu kaal: poor for starting anything meant to last, especially travel. Gulika, also called Gulika kaal or Mandi time, belongs to a sub-point of Saturn. Its rule runs the other way: whatever is done in it tends to repeat. So people avoid it for funerals or clearing debts, which no one wants to do twice, and some do choose it for buying gold or making a deposit. In practice I treat Rahu kaal and Yamaganda as windows to step around and give Gulika less weight.
Where Rahu kaal fits in a proper muhurat
Rahu kaal is a filter, not a muhurat by itself. A time outside it is not automatically a good time. For anything that matters I start with the day: tithi, nakshatra and weekday. Then I look for a good slot inside that day, which is where the choghadiya table for each weekday or the noon window explained on the Abhijit muhurat page helps. Rahu kaal is the last check to keep that slot clean.
The other piece is your own chart. Someone running a Rahu mahadasha often asks whether they should be more careful about Rahu kaal. My honest answer is that your dasha says far more about the period than ninety minutes on a clock, and my notes on Rahu mahadasha explain why.
Having your important date checked
If you are planning a launch, a registration, a purchase or a move, tell me what it is, where it will happen and which days work for you, along with your birth details. On a 45-minute call I check those dates in the panchang and against your chart, and give you a day and an hour that clears Rahu kaal and suits you. My written notes follow within 48 hours. Book a session when you have the dates in hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rahu kaal the same time every Monday?
No. It is always the 2nd eighth of daylight on a Monday, but the clock time moves with sunrise and sunset. In Bengaluru it starts around 8:12 am in mid-January and around 7:31 am in late June.
Is there a Rahu kaal at night?
Most panchangs print Rahu kaal for the daytime only, and that is the one people follow. A few traditions also count a night Rahu kaal, but it is rarely used in everyday practice.
Can I travel during Rahu kaal if my flight is booked?
Yes. If the time is fixed by someone else, go. Some families like to step out of the house a little before Rahu kaal starts and wait nearby, which keeps the custom without missing a flight.
What if I already signed something during Rahu kaal?
Do not panic. A single ninety-minute window does not decide how a contract or a purchase works out. The terms, the people involved and your own chart matter much more. Simply plan the next big step for a better time.
Is Rahu kaal followed in North India?
Less strictly than in the South. North Indian families lean more on choghadiya and the day’s tithi and nakshatra, though Rahu kaal now appears in most printed and online panchangs across India.
