What is the ascendant?
Your ascendant, or lagna, is the sign of the zodiac that was rising on the eastern horizon at the moment you were born. In a Vedic chart it becomes the first house and every other house is counted from it, so the whole kundli is read from your lagna.
Why the birth time matters
As the Earth turns, a new sign rises roughly every two hours. Some signs take less time and others more, depending on where you were born. A few minutes can change the degree of the lagna, and close to the edge of a sign they can change the sign itself. That is why the calculator shows when your lagna started and stopped rising on the day you were born.
Lagna, moon sign and sun sign
Traditionally the lagna describes you as a person: your nature, your outlook and the way you meet the world. Your moon sign (rashi) is used for horoscopes and matching, and your sun sign shows where the Sun was. For most people they are three different signs. A kundli reading looks at all three together with the rest of your chart.
Questions
About the ascendant
What if I don’t know my exact birth time?
The lagna can’t be worked out without a birth time, because a new sign rises about every two hours. Use the time on your birth certificate or hospital record if you have one. If you only know it roughly, look at the times shown with your result: if your whole range falls inside that window, your lagna is the same either way.
Why is my lagna different from the rising sign on Western sites?
Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, which follows the seasons. Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, which follows the stars and is now about 24 degrees behind. The same rising point can fall in different signs in the two systems, and the calculator shows both.
Which ayanamsa and houses does it use?
The Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa, the one adopted for India’s national calendar and used by most Indian astrologers, with whole-sign houses: the rising sign is the first house, the next sign the second, and so on.
More free tools
Charts, matching and panchang
- Free kundliYour birth chart with planets, nakshatra, dashas and a dosha check.
- Kundli matchingGuna milan out of 36 with all eight kootas explained.
- Today's panchangTithi, nakshatra, Rahu kaal and choghadiya for today, or any date and city.
- Festival calendarFestival and vrat dates with their muhurat: Diwali, Holi, every Ekadashi and more.
Astrology calculators
- Moon signFind your Vedic rashi, the sign your horoscope is read from.
- Sun signYour Vedic sun sign, with your Western one alongside.
- Ascendant (lagna)The sign rising at your birth, with its lord and the times it rose.
- NakshatraYour birth star and pada, with its lord, deity, gana and nadi.
- DashaYour Vimshottari mahadashas and antardashas, with the ones running now.
- Love compatibilityA quick check of two moon signs on Bhakoot and graha maitri.
- Mangal doshaCheck Mars from your lagna, Moon and Venus, with the common exceptions.
- Kaal Sarp doshSee whether all seven grahas fall between Rahu and Ketu.
- Sade SatiWhether Saturn's seven-and-a-half years are running for you, with dates.
Numerology
- NumerologyYour mulank, bhagyank and name number, and the planet behind each.
- Lo Shu gridYour date of birth in the 3×3 grid, with repeated and missing numbers.
- Mobile numberAdd up a mobile number and compare it with your mulank and bhagyank.
- Vehicle numberThe total and single digit of a car or bike registration number.
Vastu
Worked out on your device with Astronomy Engine by Don Cross (MIT licence) and the Lahiri ayanamsa. Place data: GeoNames (geonames.org), CC BY 4.0.