Reference
The 27 Nakshatras
The nakshatras are the oldest layer of Indian astrology — twenty-seven lunar mansions of 13°20′ each, marking where the Moon sits on any given night. Your birth star is considered more personal than your sign, and it determines where your life begins in the vimshottari dasha cycle.
| # | Nakshatra | Range | Ruling planet | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashwini | 0°00′ – 13°20′ Aries | Ketu | Horse's head |
| 2 | Bharani | 13°20′ – 26°40′ Aries | Venus | Yoni, the source of creation |
| 3 | Krittika | 26°40′ Aries – 10°00′ Taurus | Sun | Razor or sacred flame |
| 4 | Rohini | 10°00′ – 23°20′ Taurus | Moon | Ox-cart and chariot |
| 5 | Mrigashira | 23°20′ Taurus – 6°40′ Gemini | Mars | Deer's head |
| 6 | Ardra | 6°40′ – 20°00′ Gemini | Rahu | Teardrop and gemstone |
| 7 | Punarvasu | 20°00′ Gemini – 3°20′ Cancer | Jupiter | Bow and quiver |
| 8 | Pushya | 3°20′ – 16°40′ Cancer | Saturn | Cow's udder and lotus |
| 9 | Ashlesha | 16°40′ – 30°00′ Cancer | Mercury | Coiled serpent |
| 10 | Magha | 0°00′ – 13°20′ Leo | Ketu | Royal throne |
| 11 | Purva Phalguni | 13°20′ – 26°40′ Leo | Venus | Front of the ceremonial bed |
| 12 | Uttara Phalguni | 26°40′ Leo – 10°00′ Virgo | Sun | Back of the ceremonial bed |
| 13 | Hasta | 10°00′ – 23°20′ Virgo | Moon | Open hand |
| 14 | Chitra | 23°20′ Virgo – 6°40′ Libra | Mars | Shining jewel |
| 15 | Swati | 6°40′ – 20°00′ Libra | Rahu | Young sprout swaying in wind |
| 16 | Vishakha | 20°00′ Libra – 3°20′ Scorpio | Jupiter | Triumphal gateway |
| 17 | Anuradha | 3°20′ – 16°40′ Scorpio | Saturn | Lotus offered in devotion |
| 18 | Jyeshtha | 16°40′ – 30°00′ Scorpio | Mercury | Protective earring or umbrella |
| 19 | Mula | 0°00′ – 13°20′ Sagittarius | Ketu | Bundle of roots |
| 20 | Purva Ashadha | 13°20′ – 26°40′ Sagittarius | Venus | Winnowing fan |
| 21 | Uttara Ashadha | 26°40′ Sagittarius – 10°00′ Capricorn | Sun | Elephant's tusk |
| 22 | Shravana | 10°00′ – 23°20′ Capricorn | Moon | Three footprints, the listening ear |
| 23 | Dhanishta | 23°20′ Capricorn – 6°40′ Aquarius | Mars | Drum and flute |
| 24 | Shatabhisha | 6°40′ – 20°00′ Aquarius | Rahu | Circle of a hundred stars |
| 25 | Purva Bhadrapada | 20°00′ Aquarius – 3°20′ Pisces | Jupiter | Two-faced figure, sword |
| 26 | Uttara Bhadrapada | 3°20′ – 16°40′ Pisces | Saturn | Serpent of the deep waters |
| 27 | Revati | 16°40′ – 30°00′ Pisces | Mercury | Fish swimming in the sea, the drum |
How to use this list
If you already know your birth star, open its page for the temperament, the four padas with their navamsa signs, the mythology and the name syllables. If you do not, the nakshatra calculator will find it from your birth details in a few seconds — and you do not need an exact birth time for the star itself.
The ranges above are sidereal, computed with the Lahiri ayanamsa. If you have seen different ranges elsewhere, the other source is almost certainly using a different ayanamsa or the tropical zodiac — our methodology page explains exactly what we use and why, with reference values you can check.
Common questions
What is a nakshatra?
A nakshatra is one of twenty-seven lunar mansions — equal 13°20′ segments of the zodiac, each named after the star group that marks it. Where the twelve signs divide the sky by the Sun's yearly path, the nakshatras divide it by the Moon's monthly one: the Moon spends roughly a day in each. Your janma nakshatra is the one it occupied when you were born.
Why 27 and not 12?
Because the nakshatra system measures the Moon rather than the Sun. The Moon completes a circuit of the zodiac in about 27.3 days, so ancient Indian astronomers divided that circuit into twenty-seven stations, one per night. The system predates the twelve signs in India — the signs arrived later from Hellenistic astronomy — which is why nakshatras are the older and more distinctively Vedic layer.
Which nakshatra is the best?
None of them, and the question is worth resisting. A few nakshatras carry difficult traditional reputations — Mula, Ashlesha and Jyeshtha in particular — and that has caused real harm to real families, especially around marriage and childbirth. Classical texts describe temperament and mythology, not worth. Every nakshatra page here says so plainly, and we do not sell remedies for any of them.
Do I need my birth time to find my nakshatra?
Usually not. The Moon takes about a day to cross one nakshatra, so for most births the answer is the same whatever time of day you use. The exception is a birth close to a boundary. The pada is more time-sensitive — it changes roughly every six hours — so an accurate birth time matters if you want the quarter rather than just the star.