A janam kundli (birth chart) is a drawing of where the Sun, the Moon and the planets were in the sky at the exact moment and place you were born. Vedic astrology, or Jyotish, reads this map to understand a person's nature and the phases of their life.
What you need to make one
Three details: your date of birth, your time of birth and your place of birth. The time matters most. The sign rising on the eastern horizon (the lagna or ascendant) changes about every two hours, so even a small mistake in the time can change the whole chart. If you are not sure of your time, tell your astrologer. They can work with what you know.
The twelve houses
A kundli is split into 12 bhavas (houses). Each house looks after one area of life:
| House | Area of life |
|---|---|
| 1st (Lagna) | Self, body, personality |
| 2nd | Family, speech, savings |
| 3rd | Courage, siblings, short travel |
| 4th | Mother, home, property, peace of mind |
| 5th | Children, education, creativity |
| 6th | Health issues, debts, competition |
| 7th | Marriage, partnerships |
| 8th | Sudden changes, longevity, hidden matters |
| 9th | Luck, dharma, father, long journeys |
| 10th | Career, status, karma |
| 11th | Income, gains, friends |
| 12th | Expenses, foreign lands, moksha |
North and South Indian charts
The North Indian chart (the diamond shape you see on our home page) keeps the houses fixed: the top diamond is always the 1st house, and the zodiac sign numbers move. The South Indian chart does the opposite: the signs stay fixed in a grid and the lagna is marked. Both show the same information in different ways.
What an astrologer looks at
- Which sign is rising (lagna) and where its lord sits
- The Moon's sign and nakshatra (very important in Jyotish)
- Which planets sit in which houses, and how they aspect each other
- The current dasha (planetary period) running in your life
This article is general information about traditional Vedic astrology. It is not a prediction for you personally and not a substitute for professional advice.