What is a Kundli? How a birth chart is made and what it contains

A Kundli, also called Janam Kundli or birth chart, is a map of the sky at the moment and place you were born. It shows where each planet stood, which sign was rising and which houses each planet occupies. Everything in Vedic astrology starts from it.

What you need to make one

• Date of birth.
• Exact time of birth, ideally from the hospital record.
• Place of birth, which fixes the latitude, longitude and time zone.

What it contains

• The lagna (rising sign) and the 12 houses.
• The position of the nine planets in signs and nakshatras.
• The Vimshottari dasha, the timeline of planetary periods.
• Yogas and doshas, which are special combinations.
• Divisional charts such as the Navamsa (D9), which add detail on marriage and strength.

Three chart styles

• North Indian: a diamond layout, where the houses stay in fixed places and the signs move.
• South Indian: a square grid, where the signs stay in fixed places and the lagna moves.
• East Indian: used in Bengal and Odisha, with its own layout.

They show the same information. Use the one you grew up with.

Where to start reading

Begin with the lagna, the Moon sign and the nakshatra. Then check which dasha is running. Those three give the core of the chart and the current period.

A chart is a picture of tendencies, not a fixed fate. Use it to understand yourself and plan, not to wait.