Tithi in the panchang: lunar days, paksha and end times
A tithi is a lunar day in the panchang. It is the time in which the Moon moves 12 degrees ahead of the Sun in the sidereal zodiac. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month: 15 in shukla paksha (bright half) ending in purnima, and 15 in krishna paksha (dark half) ending in amavasya.
You'll learn
- How a tithi is defined
- The 15 names in each paksha
- Purnima and amavasya
- Why tithi length varies
- How end times work
Shukla paksha (1 to 15)
- Pratipada, Dwitiya, Tritiya, Chaturthi, Panchami, Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Dwadashi, Trayodashi, Chaturdashi, Purnima
Bright half, waxing Moon
Krishna paksha (1 to 15)
- Pratipada, Dwitiya, Tritiya, Chaturthi, Panchami, Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Dwadashi, Trayodashi, Chaturdashi, Amavasya
Dark half, waning Moon
Before thisVara in the panchang: weekday and its ruling planet
Twelve degrees of elongation
Tithi counts the gap between Moon and Sun longitudes. Each tithi spans 12 degrees of that gap, so a full 360 degree cycle holds 30 tithis.
Not equal to 24 civil hours
Start from new moon, when the Moon and Sun share the same sidereal longitude. As the Moon moves eastward it gains on the Sun. Every 12 degrees of that gain marks a new tithi.
Because the Moon's speed varies, a tithi can be shorter or longer than a civil day. Two tithis can fall on one date, or one tithi can stretch across two civil dates.
Almanacs therefore print a tithi end time, the moment the elongation crosses the next 12 degree boundary.
Names and paksha
Prefix shukla or krishna to say which half of the month you mean. Spelling of the Sanskrit names varies by tradition and language.
Sixteen names, thirty days
The first fourteen names repeat in both pakshas. The fifteenth is special: purnima closes shukla paksha at full Moon, and amavasya closes krishna paksha at new Moon.
Regional almanacs may spell Dwitiya as Dvitiya or use local script forms. Skybond uses the common English transliterations shown in the hero.
Festivals often anchor to a tithi, such as Ekadashi fasts on the eleventh tithi of each paksha. The lesson links paksha to Moon strength in the paksha glossary entry.
End times on the daily page
- 01Read Moon minus Sun at local sunrise
- 02Name the tithi and paksha from that angle
- 03Use the printed end time when the next tithi begins
At sunrise the panchang gives the tithi in force. The end time tells you when the next tithi begins, which may be hours later the same day.
Why sheets show two tithi rows
When a tithi ends before the next sunrise, the civil day's panchang may list two tithis: the one at sunrise and the one that follows after the end time.
Muhurta writers check both the tithi at the proposed hour and whether an end time falls inside the event.
The calculation page in this series shows how software and the Skybond API derive tithi from sidereal longitudes.
Check yourself
How many degrees make one tithi?
Show answer
12 degrees of Moon minus Sun elongation in the sidereal zodiac.
What is the fifteenth tithi of shukla paksha?
Show answer
Purnima, the full Moon tithi.
Can a tithi last more than one civil day?
Show answer
Yes. Because tithi length follows the Moon's motion, not the 24 hour clock, a slow tithi can span two calendar dates.
Key takeaways
- Each tithi spans 12 degrees of Moon minus Sun.
- There are 30 tithis: 15 in shukla paksha and 15 in krishna paksha.
- Purnima and amavasya are the fifteenth tithis of each paksha.
- Tithi length varies with the Moon's speed.
- Almanacs show tithi at sunrise and an end time when it changes.
Next lessons
Conventions and sources
- Sidereal zodiac
- Sunrise to sunrise day
- Location-specific times
Panchang limbs use sidereal longitudes and local sunrise. See the ayanamsa lesson for how Skybond and many almanacs set the zodiac gap.
Sources for this page
- Open Pañcāṅga, How the tithis are named (30 tithis and paksha naming)
- Open Pañcāṅga, Purnima and Amavasya (fifteenth tithis)
FAQ
What is tithi in a panchang?
A lunar day measured by 12 degrees of elongation between the Moon and Sun.
Is tithi the same as the Moon sign?
No. The Moon sign is which rashi the Moon occupies. Tithi depends on Moon minus Sun, not on the Moon sign alone.
Why do two cities show different tithis?
The Moon moves continuously. Different sunrise times and longitudes can put two places in different tithis at the same civil moment.
Drafted with AI from verified sources, fact-checked and edited by Skybond before publishing. Read more.