Kharmas dates (popular practice)
Kharmas is the popular name for the Sun’s months in sidereal Sagittarius (Dhanu) and Pisces (Meen). Popular practice avoids weddings and other new beginnings in them. Its dates from 2026 to 2028 are below, for Delhi and cities abroad, with the rule the texts give.
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
10:25
21:10
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
10:25
21:10
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
10:25
21:10
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
10:25
21:10
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
10:25
21:10
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
10:25
21:10
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
10:25
21:10
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
10:25
21:10
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
10:25
21:10
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
10:25
21:10
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
04:55
15:40
Winter Kharmas 2026
15 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
23:55
10:40
Winter Kharmas 2026
15 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
23:55
10:40
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 15 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
15:55
02:40
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
08:55
19:40
Winter Kharmas 2026
16 December to 14 January
It begins in 60 days. The Sun is in Sagittarius (Dhanu) from Dhanu Sankranti to Makar Sankranti.
12:55
23:40
Kharmas dates, 2026 to 2028
Each city’s own time| Kharmas | Delhi | London | New York City | Sydney |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kharmas 2026, spring | Sun 15 Marto Tue 14 Apr | Sat 14 Marto Tue 14 Apr | Sat 14 Marto Tue 14 Apr | Sun 15 Marto Tue 14 Apr |
| Kharmas 2026, winter | Wed 16 Decto Thu 14 Jan | Wed 16 Decto Thu 14 Jan | Tue 15 Decto Thu 14 Jan | Wed 16 Decto Fri 15 Jan |
| Kharmas 2027, spring | Mon 15 Marto Wed 14 Apr | Mon 15 Marto Wed 14 Apr | Sun 14 Marto Wed 14 Apr | Mon 15 Marto Wed 14 Apr |
| Kharmas 2027, winter | Thu 16 Decto Sat 15 Jan | Thu 16 Decto Fri 14 Jan | Thu 16 Decto Fri 14 Jan | Thu 16 Decto Sat 15 Jan |
| Kharmas 2028, spring | Tue 14 Marto Thu 13 Apr | Tue 14 Marto Thu 13 Apr | Tue 14 Marto Thu 13 Apr | Tue 14 Marto Fri 14 Apr |
| Kharmas 2028, winter | Fri 15 Decto Sun 14 Jan | Fri 15 Decto Sun 14 Jan | Fri 15 Decto Sat 13 Jan | Sat 16 Decto Sun 14 Jan |
The spring Kharmas runs while the Sun is in Pisces, and the winter one while it is in Sagittarius, ending in January. Each year’s page gives the sankranti times in all 16 cities.
What the texts say
The texts read do not use the name Kharmas. Garga, quoted in the commentary on the Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi, bars four acts while the Sun is in Pisces, Sagittarius or Leo: the first tonsure, the first feeding, marriage and house work. Garga in MC 6.13 commentary, p. 235
मीने धनुषि सिंहे च स्थिते सप्ततुरंगमे । क्षौरमन्नं न कुर्वीत विवाहं गृहकर्म च With the Sun in Pisces, Sagittarius or Leo: no tonsure, first feeding, marriage or house work. Garga adds Leo, which the popular Kharmas leaves out, and he names only these four acts.
Questions
From the Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi and its commentary, and the Dharmasindhu, with the page for each.
When is Kharmas?
In Delhi: 15 March to 14 April 2026 (the Sun in Pisces); 16 December 2026 to 14 January 2027 (the Sun in Sagittarius); 15 March to 14 April 2027 (the Sun in Pisces); 16 December 2027 to 15 January 2028 (the Sun in Sagittarius); 14 March to 13 April 2028 (the Sun in Pisces); 15 December 2028 to 14 January 2029 (the Sun in Sagittarius). Kharmas is the popular name for the Sun’s months in sidereal Sagittarius (Dhanu) and Pisces (Meen). Popular practice avoids weddings and other new beginnings in them.
Why are weddings avoided in Kharmas?
Popular practice avoids weddings and other new beginnings while the Sun is in Sagittarius or Pisces. The texts read give Garga’s verse, quoted in the commentary on the Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi: no marriage, first tonsure, first feeding or house work while the Sun is in Pisces, Sagittarius or Leo. Garga in MC 6.13 commentary, p. 235
Is Kharmas the same as Malmas or Adhik Maas?
No. Kharmas follows the Sun’s sign, while the adhika month is the lunar leap month. The Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi and the Dharmasindhu bar marriage in an adhika month too. MC 1.47, pp. 39–40; DS p. 4 Hindu calendar
Is griha pravesh done in Kharmas?
Garga’s verse names house work among the four acts it bars while the Sun is in Pisces, Sagittarius or Leo. This site’s griha pravesh list keeps to the Sun’s northern course, so it gives no day while the Sun is in Sagittarius or Leo, and it does not bar Pisces as such. Garga in MC 6.13 commentary, p. 235; MC 13.1, p. 437
How the dates are found
Read the methodology- The dates
- The Sun’s sidereal ingresses by the Lahiri ayanamsa: Kharmas runs from its entry into Pisces to its entry into Aries, and from its entry into Sagittarius to its entry into Capricorn.
- Abroad
- Each ingress is one moment everywhere, shown in each city’s own time, so the calendar date can differ from Delhi’s.
- The name
- Kharmas is the popular name, and the texts read do not use it. Garga’s verse, quoted in the commentary on Muhūrta-cintāmaṇi 6.13 (p. 235), bars four acts while the Sun is in Pisces, Sagittarius or Leo.
Sidereal ingresses, Lahiri ayanamsa · each city’s own time · Swiss Ephemeris · Method