Panchang · South Africa
On Wednesday, 16 December 2026 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, the Sun rises at 04:53 AM and sets at 06:55 PM. The tithi at sunrise is Shukla Saptami, until 07:16 PM; the nakshatra is Shatabhisha until 10:33 AM, the yoga Vajra and the karana Gara. Rahu Kaal is 11:54 AM to 01:39 PM. Observed on this day: Dhanu Sankranti.
Times for Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Wednesday, 16 December 2026 · UTC+2 · Sunrise 04:53 AM · Sunset 06:55 PM
Each lasts until the time shown, then the next one begins. The bar shows how much of it had passed at sunrise.
Plan your day
Calculated from sunrise and sunset at this place.
For starting something new.
Routine work is fine.
For Karka (Cancer) Moon sign, 07:06 PM, Dec 14 to 05:43 AM, Dec 17: the Moon is in their 8th sign.See it for your own chart →
Travel north is traditionally avoided on Wednesdays. Customs and remedies vary by region.
07:16 PM to 07:43 AM, Dec 17: avoided for auspicious work.
Panchak 07:06 PM, Dec 14 to 05:43 AM, Dec 17
From classical muhurta rules for today's nakshatra, tithi, yoga and weekday, with the best window from today's timings. General guidance, not personalised.
Hold new starts and important pitches.
Shatabhisha is a Chara (movable) nakshatra, which suits travel, vehicles and anything in motion; the yoga is inauspicious for new ventures; Wednesday is the Mercury's day, linked with study, writing and trade.
Delay loans and big investments.
Shatabhisha is a Chara (movable) nakshatra, which suits travel, vehicles and anything in motion; the yoga is inauspicious for new ventures; Wednesday is the Mercury's day, linked with trade and accounts.
Travel is fine in a good Choghadiya.
Shatabhisha is a Chara (movable) nakshatra, which favours journeys; the yoga is inauspicious for new ventures; Disha Shool today is north: travel that way is traditionally avoided.
A steady day for routine care.
Shatabhisha is a Chara (movable) nakshatra, which suits travel, vehicles and anything in motion.
Fine for everyday time together.
Shatabhisha is a Chara (movable) nakshatra, which suits travel, vehicles and anything in motion.
A normal day for daily practice.
Shatabhisha is a Chara (movable) nakshatra, which suits travel, vehicles and anything in motion.
Traditions differ by region and family; for an important start, check the Muhurat for your own chart.
Day and night each split into eight parts. Amrit, Shubh and Labh are good; Rog, Kaal and Udveg are avoided; Chal is neutral and suits travel.
Day and night each split into twelve planetary hours, starting with the weekday's lord at sunrise.
| # | Planet | From | To | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercury | 04:53 AM | 06:03 AM | Study, trade, writing |
| 2 | Moon | 06:03 AM | 07:13 AM | Travel, family, public dealings |
| 3 | Saturn | 07:13 AM | 08:23 AM | Steady labour; avoid new starts |
| 4 | Jupiter | 08:23 AM | 09:34 AM | Learning, ceremonies, advice |
| 5 | Mars | 09:34 AM | 10:44 AM | Courage, property, sport |
| 6 | Sun | 10:44 AM | 11:54 AM | Government, authority, health |
| 7 | Venus | 11:54 AM | 01:04 PM | Art, romance, purchases |
| 8 | Mercury | 01:04 PM | 02:14 PM | Study, trade, writing |
| 9 | Moon | 02:14 PM | 03:25 PM | Travel, family, public dealings |
| 10 | Saturn | 03:25 PM | 04:35 PM | Steady labour; avoid new starts |
| 11 | Jupiter | 04:35 PM | 05:45 PM | Learning, ceremonies, advice |
| 12 | Mars | 05:45 PM | 06:55 PM | Courage, property, sport |
| # | Planet | From | To | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Sun | 06:55 PM | 07:45 PM | Government, authority, health |
| 14 | Venus | 07:45 PM | 08:35 PM | Art, romance, purchases |
| 15 | Mercury | 08:35 PM | 09:25 PM | Study, trade, writing |
| 16 | Moon | 09:25 PM | 10:15 PM | Travel, family, public dealings |
| 17 | Saturn | 10:15 PM | 11:04 PM | Steady labour; avoid new starts |
| 18 | Jupiter | 11:04 PM | 11:54 PM | Learning, ceremonies, advice |
| 19 | Mars | 11:54 PM | 12:44 AM | Courage, property, sport |
| 20 | Sun | 12:44 AM | 01:34 AM | Government, authority, health |
| 21 | Venus | 01:34 AM | 02:24 AM | Art, romance, purchases |
| 22 | Mercury | 02:24 AM | 03:14 AM | Study, trade, writing |
| 23 | Moon | 03:14 AM | 04:03 AM | Travel, family, public dealings |
| 24 | Saturn | 04:03 AM | 04:53 AM | Steady labour; avoid new starts |
Purnimanta month convention for Msunduzi Local Municipality, uMgungundlovu District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Hindu day runs sunrise to sunrise, so a Tithi or Nakshatra ending “after midnight” still belongs to this day. Sidereal positions use the Lahiri ayanamsa; other almanacs can differ by a few minutes. Methodology
✦ festival · • vrat · each day opens its own Pietermaritzburg page
City data © GeoNames. Times for Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in Africa/Johannesburg.
Rahu Kaal, Abhijit Muhurat, Choghadiya and Hora are fractions of the local day, so they move with sunrise and sunset. Pietermaritzburg sits at 29.62°S, 30.39°E, 636 m above sea level, in the Africa/Johannesburg time zone.
Tithi and Nakshatra end at the same instant everywhere, but the local clock time differs, and the Tithi at Pietermaritzburg's own sunrise decides which date a festival or vrat falls on here.
Shukla Saptami is the tithi at sunrise (04:53 AM) in Pietermaritzburg and lasts until 07:16 PM. The tithi at sunrise names the day.
Shatabhisha (pada 4), until 10:33 AM.
Sunrise is at 04:53 AM and sunset at 06:55 PM, local time, for Pietermaritzburg's own coordinates.
11:54 AM to 01:39 PM. Rahu Kaal is one-eighth of the daytime, so it moves with Pietermaritzburg's sunrise and sunset.
03:33 AM to 04:13 AM: the 14th of the night's 15 muhurtas, ending one muhurta (about 48 minutes) before sunrise, traditionally kept for prayer and study.
The Moon rises at 11:13 AM and sets at 11:38 PM.
Dhanu Sankranti, by Pietermaritzburg's sunrise and moonrise.
Hold new starts and important pitches. Best window: Labh 04:53 AM to 06:38 AM. Avoid Rahu Kaal, 11:54 AM to 01:39 PM.
People with Karka (Cancer) Moon sign, 07:06 PM, Dec 14 to 05:43 AM, Dec 17: the Moon is in their 8th sign.
A Panchang is the Hindu almanac. For each day it gives five details (panch anga, "five parts"): Tithi (lunar day), Vara (weekday), Nakshatra (the Moon's lunar mansion), Yoga (a Sun–Moon combination) and Karana (half a Tithi), along with sunrise-based timings used to choose a Muhurat.
Rahu Kaal is one-eighth of the daytime (sunrise to sunset), assigned to Rahu by weekday. Traditionally people avoid starting new ventures, signing agreements or beginning journeys in it. Because it depends on local sunrise and sunset, it differs from city to city and day to day.
A Tithi is the time the Moon takes to gain 12° on the Sun, so it can end at any hour. By convention the Tithi prevailing at sunrise names the day, which is why a festival can fall on a different civil date in different places.
