Rahu Kalam

Rahu Kalam (Rahukalam) is a period on each weekday that many traditions treat as inauspicious for starting important new work, travel, or ceremonies. In Vedic reckoning it is associated with Rahu. It is not a fixed clock time: the daytime from sunrise to sunset is divided into eight equal parts, and one of those parts is Rahu Kalam for that weekday—so the window shifts with sunrise, sunset, latitude, and timezone (including daylight saving). Key points: • What to postpone: New ventures, major decisions, journey starts, and ritual beginnings are often avoided during this window. • Why: Rahu is treated as a malefic influence; the period is read as generally unfavorable for auspicious starts. • How it is calculated: Day-length (sunrise to sunset) is split into eight segments; which segment is Rahu Kalam follows a fixed weekday mapping. • Varies by date: The same wall-clock time does not repeat on different days because sunrise and sunset change the segment boundaries. • Location: Another city on the same calendar date can show different Rahu Kalam times.