A Kundli, or Janam Kundli, looks intimidating the first time: a diamond or a square full of numbers and abbreviations. Underneath, it is a map of the sky at your birth, and it has only a few parts. This guide walks through them in the order a practitioner would, so that the next time you open a chart you know what each box is telling you. If you do not have one yet, you can create a free Vedic Kundli and follow along.
1. What goes into a Kundli
You need three things: the date, the exact time and the place of birth. The date and time fix where the Sun, Moon and planets were. The place fixes the horizon, and with it which zodiac sign was rising. Change the time by a couple of hours and the chart changes shape, which is why a reliable birth time is the single most valuable input.
2. The 12 signs and the 12 houses
The sky is divided in two ways at once. The 12 signs (Aries to Pisces) are slices of the zodiac, each 30 degrees wide. The 12 houses are areas of life counted from your Lagna, the sign that was rising. The first house is the Lagna itself and stands for the self. The others, in traditional order, relate to wealth and speech (2nd), siblings and effort (3rd), home and mother (4th), children and learning (5th), health and service (6th), partnerships (7th), transformation (8th), fortune and father (9th), career (10th), gains (11th) and expenses or release (12th).
3. The two chart layouts
- North Indian style: a fixed diamond where the houses keep their position and the signs rotate. The top diamond is always the first house, and the numbers written in each box are sign numbers (1 for Aries, 12 for Pisces).
- South Indian style: a fixed 4 by 4 grid where the signs keep their position (Pisces at top left, going clockwise to Aquarius) and the Lagna is marked by a diagonal line or the abbreviation "Asc".
The same chart in either style holds identical information, only drawn differently. Choose the one you grew up with.
4. The nine planets (Navagraha)
Vedic astrology uses seven visible bodies and two mathematical points: the Sun (Surya), Moon (Chandra), Mars (Mangal), Mercury (Budh), Jupiter (Guru), Venus (Shukra), Saturn (Shani) and the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu. A chart lists the sign, degree, house and Nakshatra of each. Traditionally each planet stands for a theme: the Sun for vitality and authority, the Moon for the mind and emotions, Mars for energy, Mercury for communication, Jupiter for wisdom and growth, Venus for relationships and comfort, Saturn for discipline and time, and the nodes for unexpected turns.
5. Reading a planet: sign, house, strength
For each planet a reader asks three questions. In which sign is it, and does that sign suit it (own sign, exalted, debilitated)? In which house is it, and so which part of life does it touch? And which planets aspect or sit with it? The same planet can read very differently depending on those answers, which is why quick one-line descriptions ("Saturn in the 7th means a late marriage") are only starting points and not conclusions.
6. The Moon: Rashi and Nakshatra
The Moon gets special attention in Vedic astrology. Its sign is your Rashi and its star is your Nakshatra. These drive naming, the daily rashifal, and marriage matching. Look at the Moon placement first if you want one number from a chart.
7. Dashas: the timeline
The most distinctive Vedic tool is the Vimshottari Dasha, a 120-year sequence of planetary periods. The ruler of your birth Nakshatra starts the sequence, and the periods of the nine planets follow in a fixed order and length (Ketu 7 years, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17). Each major period (Mahadasha) is divided into sub-periods (Antardasha). Astrologers read the current Dasha as the "weather" of a time in life. Where the Moon was within its Nakshatra at birth decides how much of the first Dasha was already used up, which is why the exact birth time shifts every date on the timeline.
8. A sensible reading order
- Confirm the birth data and the Lagna.
- Note the Moon's sign and Nakshatra.
- Look at the Sun and the Lagna lord's placement.
- Scan each house for planets and the planet that rules the house.
- Check the current Mahadasha and Antardasha.
What a Kundli can and cannot do
A Kundli is a cultural and symbolic framework and not a scientific instrument. It cannot tell you your health, your exam results or whether a marriage will succeed. Treat anything that claims to as entertainment at best. What it can do is give a family a shared vocabulary for celebrations, timing and reflection, and give you a precisely calculated chart to discuss with someone whose judgement you trust.
Starting a family and curious about timing? The free Birth Planner shows Kundli-aligned birth windows for a baby, including windows that share the Moon sign, Nakshatra and Lagna of a celebrity you admire, from 5,000+ celebrity charts. It is based on astrology and only works inside the dates your doctor confirms are safe.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to make a Kundli?
The date, exact time and place of birth. A free Kundli can be created on AstroTwinz.
What is the difference between North and South Indian charts?
Both show the same information. In the North Indian style the houses are fixed and signs rotate, while in the South Indian style the signs are fixed in a grid and the Lagna is marked.
What is a Dasha?
A planetary period in the 120-year Vimshottari system, started by the ruler of the birth Nakshatra and read as the timeline of a life.
Which part of the Kundli should I look at first?
The Lagna and the Moon (Rashi and Nakshatra).
Next step
More from the blog
- Vedic vs Western Astrology: The Real Differences (Zodiac, Moon, Houses and Timing)
- The 27 Nakshatras: A Complete Guide to Your Birth Star, Its Ruler, Deity and Pada
- Introducing AstroTwinz: Find Your Celebrity Twin and Plan a Birth With Your Doctor, All in One Vedic Astrology Platform
- Your Astrological Twin: How to Find the Celebrities Who Share Your Chart, and Plan a Birth Around One
- Vedic Kundli — your birth chart calculated with Swiss Ephemeris (Lahiri).
- Birth Planner — Kundli-aligned birth windows to choose between days your doctor already considers safe.
- Celebrity Twin Matching — find the stars who share your Moon Nakshatra and chart.
Based on astrology; please follow your doctor’s guidance on any birth.
Free daily rashifal and muhurat alerts
One short message a day: your Moon-sign rashifal and the auspicious dates that matter. Unsubscribe any time.