Dur Muhurtam Today — All Indian Cities
The inauspicious Vedic time window from the 15-fold daytime muhurta system. Calculated fresh every day from each city's local sunrise. One period on most days; two on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Tuesday, 2 June 2026 · 100+ cities · Updated daily
What is Dur Muhurtam?
Dur Muhurtam (Sanskrit: दुर्मुहूर्तम्) is the inauspicious time window in the classical Vedic 15-fold daytime muhurta system. The word combines “dur” (bad, inauspicious) with “muhurtam” (one-fifteenth of the daytime, approximately 48 minutes). Specific slot numbers among the 15 daytime divisions are designated as Dur Muhurtam for each weekday in the Muhurta Chintamani of Daivajna Ramacharya — one of the oldest and most authoritative texts on Vedic timing.
Unlike Rahu Kalam (which lasts ~90 minutes, using an 8-fold division), Dur Muhurtam is briefer (~48 minutes) and uses the finer 15-slot grid. Most days carry one Dur Muhurtam window; Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday carry two. All windows are calculated from local sunrise, so the exact clock time differs for every city in India.
Classical texts are consistent that Dur Muhurtam affects only new initiations (ārambha) — routine activities, ongoing work, and daily prayers are specifically exempted. The Dharmasindhu provides recognised remedies for situations where an important task must begin during this window.
Which Days Have Two Dur Muhurtam Periods?
| Weekday | Periods | Muhurta Slot(s) of 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | One period | Slot 6 |
| Monday | Two periods | Slots 7 & 15 |
| Tuesday | One period | Slot 7 |
| Wednesday | Two periods | Slots 7 & 15 |
| Thursday | One period | Slot 7 |
| Friday | One period | Slot 10 |
| Saturday | Two periods | Slots 8 & 9 |
Dur Muhurtam — Major Cities
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New beginnings to avoid
- ⚠Starting a new business, shop, or commercial venture — the inauspicious imprint is believed to affect the foundation of the enterprise
- ⚠Marriage, engagement, and betrothal ceremonies — require a shubha muhurta; Dur Muhurtam is explicitly contraindicated in Muhurta Chintamani for vivaha
- ⚠Upanayana (sacred thread ceremony) and other samskaras requiring auspicious initiation
- ⚠Signing contracts, legal documents, property agreements, or binding financial commitments
- ⚠Starting important journeys by air, train, or road for significant purposes (pilgrimage, medical, business)
- ⚠Purchasing land, property, vehicles, jewellery, or high-value assets intended for long-term use
- ⚠Launching a new product, website, app, or marketing campaign
- ⚠Beginning medical or surgical treatments for non-emergency conditions
- ⚠Performing house-warming ceremonies (griha pravesh) or temple consecration (pratishtha)
- ⚠Taking on new employment, starting a new job, or joining a new institution
Permitted as usual
- ✓Routine daily activities — eating, sleeping, bathing, and regular household chores are entirely unaffected
- ✓Daily prayer and pooja that is already an established daily habit (continuation, not new initiation)
- ✓Attending work, school, or college as continuation of an ongoing engagement
- ✓Completing tasks already in progress — Dur Muhurtam only creates dosha for new beginnings (ārambha)
- ✓Reading religious texts, listening to spiritual discourses, and meditation
- ✓Routine office work, administrative tasks, and follow-up activities on existing projects
- ✓Visiting temples, relatives, and friends for ordinary social purposes (not for new agreements)
- ✓Cooking, cleaning, and regular farming or agricultural routines
Dur Muhurtam vs Rahu Kalam, Yamagandam & Varjyam
| Period | Duration |
|---|---|
| Dur Muhurtam | ~48 min (1/15th of daylight) |
| Rahu Kalam | ~90 min (1/8th of daylight) |
| Yamagandam | ~90 min (1/8th of daylight) |
| Varjyam | Variable, typically 1.5–2 hours |
Common Myths & Clarifications
Myth: Dur Muhurtam ruins the entire day and nothing good can happen during it.
Each Dur Muhurtam period lasts approximately 48 minutes — one-fifteenth of the day. Even on days with two periods (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday), the combined inauspicious window is under two hours. The Muhurta Chintamani explicitly exempts routine activities from its restrictions; only new initiations (ārambha) are affected. Most of each day remains available for auspicious work.
Myth: Anything started in Dur Muhurtam will definitely fail or cause permanent harm.
Classical texts describe Dur Muhurtam as a period that is unfavourable for new beginnings — not as a guarantee of disaster. The principle is that the muhurta's quality imprints on an activity's starting conditions, creating potential obstacles. Remedies (sankalpa, Gayatri japa) are specifically designed for situations where the window cannot be avoided, acknowledging that outcomes are not mechanically determined by timing alone.
Myth: Dur Muhurtam and Rahu Kalam are the same thing and always occur at the same time.
These are calculated by entirely different systems. Rahu Kalam uses the 8-fold daytime division (≈90 minutes each slot); Dur Muhurtam uses the finer 15-fold division (≈48 minutes each slot). The two have completely different weekday tables and almost never overlap. On most days, they fall at different times of day.
Myth: If your city's Dur Muhurtam is at noon, it applies equally to all nearby towns.
Dur Muhurtam is calculated from local sunrise, which varies by geographic coordinates. Even within a single state, cities separated by a degree of longitude will have Dur Muhurtam windows that differ by approximately 4 minutes. The correct reference for any resident is always the calculation for their specific city or locality.
Classical Scriptural Sources
“Muhurta Chintamani, Chapter 2 (Dinabhaga Viveka) — designates specific muhurta slot numbers as "dur" (inauspicious) for each weekday, stating that initiating new work, ceremonies, or journeys during these slots should be avoided unless there is absolute necessity and remedial rites have been performed.”
— Daivajna Ramacharya
Primary canonical source for the Dur Muhurtam weekday-slot mapping used in panchang calculation.
“Muhurta Martanda — reinforces the 15-fold daytime muhurta classification and identifies the Dur Muhurtam slots by weekday. The text notes that the two-period days (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday) carry double obstruction and require extra caution.”
— Narayana Daivajna
Secondary pramana confirming the weekday-to-slot mapping; introduces the concept of double inauspiciousness on two-period days.
“Dharmasindhu — discusses the mitigation of muhurta dosha (defect of the time period) and prescribes the sankalpa remedy: formally resolving to begin a task before the inauspicious window opens is recognised as transferring the karmic "start" to the moment of sankalpa.”
— Kasinatha Upadhyaya
Authoritative dharmashastra source for remedies applicable when an important task must be started during an inauspicious muhurta.
“Brihat Samhita, Chapter 99 — Varahamihira establishes the conceptual foundation for muhurta quality: the 15-fold daytime division, the naming of each muhurta, and the principle that the presiding deity of each muhurta-slot imprints its quality on activities started within it.”
— Varahamihira
Foundational text for the muhurta quality system; the philosophical basis on which Dur Muhurtam avoidance rests.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the term "Durmuhurtam" literally mean, and how is it defined in Vedic astrology?
The Sanskrit compound "Durmuhurtam" (दुर्मुहूर्तम्) joins "dur" — meaning bad, difficult, or inauspicious — with "muhurtam," a time unit equal to one-fifteenth of the daytime period, approximately 48 minutes for a 12-hour day. In Vedic astrology, the daytime period from sunrise to sunset is divided into 15 equal muhurtas, each with a classical name and quality. Specific slots among these 15 are designated as Dur Muhurtam for each weekday, as codified in the Muhurta Chintamani of Daivajna Ramacharya. In your city, the Dur Muhurtam clock time shifts daily because it is anchored to local sunrise — making city-specific calculation essential for correct panchang observation.
How is the specific timing and duration of a Durmuhurtam calculated on any given day?
The calculation begins with your city's local sunrise and sunset. Total daylight (sunrise to sunset) is divided into 15 equal parts — each part is one muhurta, lasting approximately 48 minutes for a 12-hour day, slightly shorter in winter and longer in summer. Specific muhurta slot numbers are designated as Dur Muhurtam for each day of the week in classical panchang texts (Muhurta Chintamani, Muhurta Martanda). The start of the designated slot, counted from sunrise, gives the Dur Muhurtam start time; add one muhurta's duration for the end. Because sunrise in your city differs from sunrise in other cities — even slightly different longitudes shift it by minutes — the Dur Muhurtam clock time in your city is specific to the city and should not be generalised from other locations.
Which days of the week are considered to have two Durmuhurtam periods instead of one?
Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday each carry two Dur Muhurtam periods daily. On Monday, the 7th and 15th muhurta slots are designated inauspicious. On Wednesday, the 7th and 15th slots. On Saturday, the 8th and 9th slots — falling consecutively, making Saturday afternoon the most heavily restricted period in the Dur Muhurtam system. All other days (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) carry a single Dur Muhurtam window of approximately 48 minutes. On any two-period day, the combined inauspicious duration is roughly 96 minutes (just over 1.5 hours), with the two windows separated by an intervening auspicious muhurta. In your city, both periods are calculated from local sunrise on the relevant weekday.
What is the fundamental astrological difference between Durmuhurtam and Rahu Kaalam?
Dur Muhurtam and Rahu Kalam are calculated by entirely different systems and have distinct ruling energies. Rahu Kalam divides the daytime into 8 equal slots (one-eighth of daylight, approximately 90 minutes each), with a specific slot designated for each weekday as being under the malefic influence of Rahu, the north lunar node. Dur Muhurtam uses the finer 15-fold muhurta division (one-fifteenth, approximately 48 minutes), with designated inauspicious slots based on weekday tradition but not attributed to a single planetary ruler. Rahu Kalam is generally considered the more severe restriction; Dur Muhurtam is briefer but specifically targets initiations (ārambha). The two windows use different weekday tables and rarely overlap. Both are calculated from your city's local sunrise and are available on the AstroSight daily panchanga page for your city.
Dr. Meenakshi Sharma
PhD in Vedic Astrology • 20+ Years Experience
Distinguished Vedic astrologer specializing in natal chart analysis, predictive astrology, and Vedic remedial measures. Trusted by thousands for accurate Dur Muhurtam interpretations.
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Reviewed by Dr. Meenakshi Sharma, PhD in Vedic Astrology. Page updated daily. Calculations follow the Muhurta Chintamani (Daivajna Ramacharya) and are computed from each city's precise coordinates.