A hora is a planetary hour. The idea is ancient and shared by many cultures: each hour of the day is ruled by one of the seven visible planets, and an activity goes better when begun in the hora of a planet suited to it. It is also the origin of the names of the weekdays.
How horas are calculated
- Take the time from sunrise to sunset and divide it into 12 day horas; divide sunset to the next sunrise into 12 night horas. On a day of 12 hours each hora is 60 minutes; in summer the day horas are longer, in winter shorter.
- The first hora after sunrise is ruled by the lord of the weekday: the Sun on Sunday, the Moon on Monday, Mars on Tuesday, and so on.
- The following horas run in a fixed order, from the slowest planet to the fastest: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, then back to Saturn.
Count 24 horas forward from Sunday's Sun hora and the 25th, the first hora of the next day, belongs to the Moon. That is why Monday follows Sunday.
What each hora suits
| Hora | Good for |
|---|---|
| Sun | Meeting officials, government work, leadership, health routines |
| Moon | Travel, public dealings, family matters, buying household items |
| Mars | Physical work, sports, property, surgery, bold action; avoid quarrels |
| Mercury | Study, writing, trade, communication, signing documents |
| Jupiter | Education, advice, religious work, finance, important beginnings |
| Venus | Arts, shopping, beauty, romance, celebrations |
| Saturn | Labour, repairs, clearing backlogs; avoid starting new ventures |
Using horas sensibly
Horas are best for everyday choices: when to send an important email, make a call, go shopping or begin study. Many people also wear a gemstone for the first time, or recite a planet's mantra, in that planet's hora on its weekday.
For major events, a full muhurta matters more; a good hora cannot fix a poor tithi or nakshatra, and Rahu Kalam is still avoided.
Sunrise and sunset for your city, which horas are built on, are in our panchang.