Rahu Kaal in Varanasi, December 2026: Daily Timings Calendar

What Rahu kaal Varanasi December 2026 means

In Varanasi during December 2026, Rahu kaal on 1 December (Tuesday) runs 2:27 pm to 3:47 pm IST. It is one eighth of Varanasi's own daytime and moves with the weekday, so the full 31-day table below lists Rahu kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika for every date.

• City: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
• Month: December 2026
• Days listed: 31
• Time zone: IST
• Source: local sunrise and sunset

Reading Rahu kaal Varanasi December 2026

Here is the simple traditional way families approach Rahu kaal Varanasi December 2026, step by step, so you can follow it at home without pressure.

1. Pick your city and month.
2. Find the date row.
3. Read Rahu kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika in IST.
4. Keep voluntary new starts outside the window.

Mahine bhar ka Rahu kaal kaise dekhein

Apne shehar aur mahine ka page kholiye. Har din ki line mein Rahu kaal, Yamaganda aur Gulika ka samay IST mein diya hai, jo aapke shehar ke suryoday aur suryast se nikala gaya hai.

People phrase it many ways: rahu kaal this month, rahu kalam calendar, rahu kaal monthly, yamaganda gulika calendar. All of these point to the same reading, and this page answers them together.

What does the December 2026 calendar for Varanasi show?

This calendar gives Rahu kaal for every day of December 2026 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The numbers come from one calculation repeated for each date: the moment the upper edge of the Sun crosses Varanasi's eastern horizon in the morning, and the moment it crosses the western horizon in the evening. Everything else on the page, including the daytime slots, is arithmetic on those two moments. Nothing here is copied from a national table or from another city.

During December 2026, Varanasi's earliest sunrise comes on 1 December at 6:26 am and its latest on 31 December at 6:43 am. The earliest sunset is 5:07 pm on 1 December, and the latest is 5:19 pm on 31 December. Day length runs from 10h 34m on 21 December to 10h 41m on 1 December, which means the days are shortening across the month. These small shifts are why a timing slot on the first of the month is not the same clock time on the last.

Varanasi sits at about 25.32 degrees north and 82.97 degrees east. Being east of Delhi, the Sun rises here roughly 23 minutes earlier than in the capital on the same date, all else being equal. Latitude changes the picture further through the seasons, because cities further north see longer summer days and shorter winter days than cities nearer the equator. That is the honest reason a single India-wide time cannot be right for every family.

If you want today's timings with the full choghadiya alongside, the live choghadiya for Varanasi and Rahu kaal today (aaj ka rahu kaal) in Varanasi pages calculate the current date and accept any date you choose. The companion sunrise calendar for Varanasi gives the other half of the same month, so you can plan with both in view.

• Earliest sunrise: 6:26 am (1 December)
• Latest sunrise: 6:43 am (31 December)
• Earliest sunset: 5:07 pm (1 December)
• Latest sunset: 5:19 pm (31 December)
• Day length: 10h 34m on 21 December to 10h 41m on 1 December

How is Rahu kaal calculated for each day?

Rahu kaal is a traditional daytime window. The time from local sunrise to local sunset is divided into eight equal parts, and one of those parts is named for Rahu according to the weekday. On Monday it is the second part, on Saturday the third, on Friday the fourth, on Wednesday the fifth, on Thursday the sixth, on Tuesday the seventh and on Sunday the eighth. Because the parts are fractions of the actual day, a longer day gives a longer Rahu kaal and a shorter day a shorter one.

Yamaganda and Gulika, also called Gulika kaal or Mandi in some regions, follow the same eightfold division with their own weekday order. Many South Indian families watch all three, while in North India Rahu kaal is the one most often mentioned. The table lists all three side by side, so whichever custom your family follows, the answer is in one row.

It is worth knowing what Rahu kaal is not. It is not an astronomical event, and nothing visible happens in the sky at its start or end. It is a convention for choosing when to begin new work, such as signing an agreement, starting a journey or launching a venture. Ongoing routine work, office hours, meals, prayer and caring for family are not traditionally interrupted by it. Many families simply shift the symbolic first step of a new task to just before or after the window.

The method here matches the live daily pages on this site exactly, so if you open the daily page for any date in December 2026 you will see the same Rahu kaal as in this table, to the minute. Small differences from printed calendars usually come from a different sunrise convention, such as using the centre of the Sun rather than its upper edge, or from rounding.

1. Find local sunrise and sunset for the date.
2. Divide the daytime into eight equal parts.
3. Pick the part for the weekday: Mon 2, Sat 3, Fri 4, Wed 5, Thu 6, Tue 7, Sun 8.
4. Use the same division for Yamaganda and Gulika with their own orders.
5. Keep new starts just outside the window if your family follows the custom.

Why do Varanasi's timings differ from other cities?

Two things decide local sunrise: longitude and latitude. India uses a single clock time, Indian Standard Time, set to the meridian at 82.5 degrees east. A city west of that line sees the Sun rise later on the clock, and a city east of it sees it earlier. Across India the difference between the far east and the far west is close to two hours of solar time, even though every clock reads the same.

Latitude adds a seasonal effect. In the winter months northern cities like Delhi, Chandigarh and Dehradun get shorter days than southern cities like Chennai, Kochi and Coimbatore, and in summer the reverse is true. Near the equinoxes in March and September day length is close to twelve hours almost everywhere, so city differences come mainly from longitude.

The comparison table below takes one date, the fifteenth of the month, and shows Varanasi next to three other large cities. It is a quick way to see why a timing copied from a relative in another city can be noticeably off for you. Families spread across Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata often discover this the first time they compare notes before a festival.

• IST is fixed at 82.5 degrees east.
• West of that line: later clock sunrise.
• East of that line: earlier clock sunrise.
• Latitude changes day length with the season.

How can you use this December calendar to plan calmly?

Most people open a monthly calendar for one of three reasons: a family event to place, a new start to time, or a daily prayer routine to keep. For the first, it helps to note candidate dates and then check the full shubh muhurat and panchang for Varanasi on each, because a wedding, griha pravesh or naming ceremony draws on tithi and nakshatra as well as daytime slots.

For a new start such as a business opening, a vehicle purchase or the first day at a new job, many families choose a time that avoids Rahu kaal and falls in a favourable choghadiya. The monthly table lets you see in advance which hours are open on each date, so you are not checking frantically on the morning itself. A simple approach is to fix the date first for practical reasons, then pick the best window on that date.

For a prayer or study routine, sunrise and Brahma muhurat matter more than anything else. Writing the sunrise for each week on a small card near the puja space or desk is an old habit that still works well. As the sunrise shifts through the month you will see your waking time drift with it, which is exactly how traditional routines were designed to follow the season.

Above all, treat these windows as a way to begin with confidence rather than a source of worry. If an important start has already happened inside an avoided slot, tradition itself offers calm answers: a short prayer, a sincere intention and steady effort are understood to matter far more than a single window. The calendar is a planning aid, never a verdict on anything already done.

1. Write down the event or start you want to place.
2. List two or three practical dates.
3. Check each date's row in this table.
4. Open the daily panchang for tithi and nakshatra on those dates.
5. Pick the calmest window that works for the family.

What do families in Uttar Pradesh traditionally watch for?

Customs vary from region to region and even from family to family. In many households in Uttar Pradesh, elders mention Rahu kaal before travel or a purchase, while a family priest is consulted for larger ceremonies. Some communities give more weight to Yamaganda or Gulika, others to choghadiya, and others to the panchang's tithi alone. There is no single correct national practice, and respecting your own family's custom is itself part of the tradition.

Festivals add their own timing rules. Diwali Lakshmi puja is tied to pradosh kaal after sunset, Ekadashi fasting is broken after the next sunrise within a set window, and many vrats are observed from sunrise to sunrise. Each of these depends on the local sunrise or sunset in this table, which is why the same festival can have different puja times in Varanasi and in a city far to the east or west.

If you follow a family priest or a printed regional almanac, use this calendar as a cross-check rather than a replacement. When the two agree you can be confident; when they differ by a minute or two, the reason is almost always a convention such as the Sun's edge versus its centre. When they differ by much more, it is worth asking which city the printed almanac was calculated for.

• Follow your family's own custom first.
• Use the calendar as a cross-check with a printed almanac.
• Festival timings depend on local sunrise and sunset.
• Ask which city a printed time was calculated for.

How accurate are these timings?

The sunrise and sunset times are calculated with an astronomical engine for Varanasi's coordinates, then rounded to the nearest minute in IST. For ordinary planning they are accurate to within a minute or two. Local terrain, tall buildings or a sea horizon can make the Sun appear a little earlier or later to an observer, but almanacs, including this one, quote the standard flat-horizon time so that everyone uses the same reference.

Slot timings such as Rahu kaal inherit that accuracy, because they are fractions of the same day. A one-minute shift in sunrise moves the first slot by one minute and later slots by a fraction of a minute. That is far smaller than the margin any family leaves when planning an event, so you can use the table with confidence.

If you are outside Varanasi, use the calendar for the nearest listed city only as an approximation. Over a hundred kilometres east or west the times change by a few minutes, and over larger distances by more. The Rahu kaal tool for any city and the choghadiya tool calculate any date for more than ninety Indian cities.

What is the respectful way to talk about inauspicious windows?

Words like Rahu kaal can carry a heavy feeling, especially for someone already anxious about an exam, a job interview or a medical appointment that could only be scheduled at a certain time. The traditional view is gentler than its reputation. Windows like Rahu kaal were used to choose good moments for voluntary new starts, never to make anyone feel that a necessary task was spoiled. Appointments set by an institution, emergencies and duties to family are understood to stand outside the custom.

It also helps to remember that every day has favourable windows too. Abhijit muhurat, Amrit, Shubh and Labh choghadiya, and Brahma muhurat in the early morning are all part of the same tradition. A calm reading of the calendar looks for the open, favourable windows first and treats the others simply as times to keep for routine work.

If a family member worries about a timing, the kindest response is often to sit together with the calendar, find a favourable window on the same or a nearby day, and let the decision feel shared. Many families find that this small ritual of planning together matters more than the window itself, and that it turns an anxious moment into a hopeful one.

• Necessary appointments and emergencies stand outside the custom.
• Look for favourable windows first.
• Plan together; shared decisions feel calmer.
• Ongoing routine work is not traditionally affected.

How does each week of December 2026 look in Varanasi?

Week 1, 1 to 7 December: sunrise in Varanasi moves from 6:26 am to 6:31 am and sunset from 5:07 pm to 5:08 pm, giving days between 10h 37m and 10h 41m. The earliest Rahu kaal this week falls on Monday 7 December at 7:50 am to 9:10 am, and the latest on Sunday 6 December at 3:48 pm to 5:08 pm. Abhijit muhurat stays close to 11:26 am to 12:11 pm, and Brahma muhurat begins around 4:50 am. With a full seven days in view, this is a good week to fix one regular time for prayer or a morning walk and keep it steady.

Week 2, 8 to 14 December: sunrise in Varanasi moves from 6:31 am to 6:35 am and sunset from 5:08 pm to 5:10 pm, giving days between 10h 35m and 10h 37m. The earliest Rahu kaal this week falls on Monday 14 December at 7:55 am to 9:14 am, and the latest on Sunday 13 December at 3:50 pm to 5:10 pm. Abhijit muhurat stays close to 11:29 am to 12:14 pm, and Brahma muhurat begins around 4:55 am. With a full seven days in view, this is a good week to fix one regular time for prayer or a morning walk and keep it steady.

Week 3, 15 to 21 December: sunrise in Varanasi moves from 6:36 am to 6:39 am and sunset from 5:10 pm to 5:13 pm, giving days between 10h 34m and 10h 35m. The earliest Rahu kaal this week falls on Monday 21 December at 7:58 am to 9:18 am, and the latest on Sunday 20 December at 3:53 pm to 5:12 pm. Abhijit muhurat stays close to 11:32 am to 12:17 pm, and Brahma muhurat begins around 5:00 am. With a full seven days in view, this is a good week to fix one regular time for prayer or a morning walk and keep it steady.

Week 4, 22 to 28 December: sunrise in Varanasi moves from 6:40 am to 6:42 am and sunset from 5:13 pm to 5:17 pm, giving days between 10h 34m and 10h 34m. The earliest Rahu kaal this week falls on Monday 28 December at 8:02 am to 9:21 am, and the latest on Sunday 27 December at 3:57 pm to 5:16 pm. Abhijit muhurat stays close to 11:35 am to 12:21 pm, and Brahma muhurat begins around 5:04 am. With a full seven days in view, this is a good week to fix one regular time for prayer or a morning walk and keep it steady.

Week 5, 29 to 31 December: sunrise in Varanasi moves from 6:43 am to 6:43 am and sunset from 5:17 pm to 5:19 pm, giving days between 10h 35m and 10h 35m. The earliest Rahu kaal this week falls on Wednesday 30 December at 12:01 pm to 1:20 pm, and the latest on Tuesday 29 December at 2:39 pm to 3:58 pm. Abhijit muhurat stays close to 11:39 am to 12:22 pm, and Brahma muhurat begins around 5:07 am. These closing days of the month carry the same pattern into the next month's calendar.

How does each weekday's Rahu kaal fall this month?

Sunday: Rahu kaal is the 8th of eight daytime parts, which places it in the afternoon. In Varanasi it runs 3:48 pm to 5:08 pm on 6 December and 3:57 pm to 5:16 pm on 27 December, across 4 Sundays this month. Yamaganda on Sundays sits at 11:49 am to 1:09 pm and Gulika at 2:28 pm to 3:48 pm on the first of them. Families who like to begin new work on this weekday usually finish the first step before lunch.

Monday: Rahu kaal is the 2nd of eight daytime parts, which places it in the morning. In Varanasi it runs 7:50 am to 9:10 am on 7 December and 8:02 am to 9:21 am on 28 December, across 4 Mondays this month. Yamaganda on Mondays sits at 10:30 am to 11:49 am and Gulika at 1:09 pm to 2:29 pm on the first of them. Families who like to begin new work after breakfast often wait until this window has passed.

Tuesday: Rahu kaal is the 7th of eight daytime parts, which places it in the afternoon. In Varanasi it runs 2:27 pm to 3:47 pm on 1 December and 2:39 pm to 3:58 pm on 29 December, across 5 Tuesdays this month. Yamaganda on Tuesdays sits at 9:07 am to 10:27 am and Gulika at 11:47 am to 1:07 pm on the first of them. Families who like to begin new work on this weekday usually finish the first step before lunch.

Wednesday: Rahu kaal is the 5th of eight daytime parts, which places it around the middle of the day. In Varanasi it runs 11:47 am to 1:07 pm on 2 December and 12:01 pm to 1:20 pm on 30 December, across 5 Wednesdays this month. Yamaganda on Wednesdays sits at 7:47 am to 9:07 am and Gulika at 10:27 am to 11:47 am on the first of them. Families who like to begin new work on this weekday often begin early in the morning or later in the afternoon.

Thursday: Rahu kaal is the 6th of eight daytime parts, which places it in the afternoon. In Varanasi it runs 1:08 pm to 2:28 pm on 3 December and 1:20 pm to 2:40 pm on 31 December, across 5 Thursdays this month. Yamaganda on Thursdays sits at 6:28 am to 7:48 am and Gulika at 9:08 am to 10:28 am on the first of them. Families who like to begin new work on this weekday usually finish the first step before lunch.

Friday: Rahu kaal is the 4th of eight daytime parts, which places it around the middle of the day. In Varanasi it runs 10:28 am to 11:48 am on 4 December and 10:39 am to 11:58 am on 25 December, across 4 Fridays this month. Yamaganda on Fridays sits at 2:28 pm to 3:48 pm and Gulika at 7:48 am to 9:08 am on the first of them. Families who like to begin new work on this weekday often begin early in the morning or later in the afternoon.

Saturday: Rahu kaal is the 3rd of eight daytime parts, which places it in the morning. In Varanasi it runs 9:09 am to 10:29 am on 5 December and 9:20 am to 10:39 am on 26 December, across 4 Saturdays this month. Yamaganda on Saturdays sits at 1:08 pm to 2:28 pm and Gulika at 6:29 am to 7:49 am on the first of them. Families who like to begin new work after breakfast often wait until this window has passed.

Where does the custom of daytime windows come from?

Dividing the day into equal parts is one of the oldest timekeeping ideas in India. The muhurta, a unit of about 48 minutes, appears in Vedic literature, and later astrological texts named windows within the day after the planets. Rahu kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika belong to this later tradition, popular especially in South India, while the choghadiya system is more widely used in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Over time, almanacs across the country began printing several of these systems side by side.

What all these systems share is the idea that time has a texture, and that a family can choose a thoughtful moment to begin something meaningful. Historians of the Hindu calendar note that panchangs were, for centuries, practical tools for farmers, traders and priests, telling them when festivals fell, when the Moon was full and when the days would lengthen. The daytime windows grew up alongside these practical uses as a way to bring intention to the start of an action.

Today the same tables are used by people who follow the custom closely, by people who simply like knowing the sunrise for their morning routine, and by families planning events who want to respect elders' preferences. All three uses are welcome. This calendar does not ask you to believe anything; it simply gives accurate times so that whichever custom you follow, you can follow it with the right numbers for Varanasi.

If you want to read more about the wider calendar, the panchang itself has five limbs: tithi, the lunar day; vara, the weekday; nakshatra, the lunar mansion; yoga, a combination of Sun and Moon longitudes; and karana, half a tithi. Rahu kaal depends only on vara and local sunrise and sunset, which is why it can be listed for a whole month in advance with complete confidence.

Planning something bigger in December 2026?

For a wedding, engagement or griha pravesh, the daytime slots on this page are only one layer. A full muhurat also weighs tithi, nakshatra, yoga, the lunar month and, for marriages, both partners' charts. The vivah muhurat 2027 and griha pravesh muhurat guides list the traditionally favoured dates, and you can bring a shortlist from those pages back to this calendar to pick the hour.

If the family wants a personal written view, the Love and Marriage Reading covers the couple's main chart factors and current periods, and the year-ahead report gives a personal month-by-month overview of the coming year. Their contents are listed on the checkout page before any details or payment, and this calendar stays complete and free either way.

For a quick question, Tara, the site's helper, can point you to the right page for your city and date within a daily free limit. Whatever you decide, the calendar is here for the whole month, so you can come back on any day and see the same calculated times.

Carrying Rahu kaal Varanasi December 2026 into your own life

Use the Rahu kaal calendar as a calm planning aid. Every row stays free, and favourable windows appear on every single day.