Choghadiya

Choghadiya (literally "four ghatikas") is a popular Gujarati and North Indian time-division system used for quick muhurat assessment. The period from sunrise to sunset is divided into 8 equal daytime slots, and sunset to next sunrise into 8 equal nighttime slots. Each slot is assigned one of seven types: Amrit (nectar — best), Shubh (auspicious), Labh (gain — good for profit), Chal (neutral — acceptable for travel), Rog (disease — inauspicious), Kaal (death — inauspicious), and Udveg (anxiety — inauspicious).

The assignment follows a fixed cyclic pattern that rotates based on the day of the week. Each weekday starts its daytime sequence with a specific choghadiya type, and the remaining seven types fill in order. Because the slot duration depends on actual daylight hours, choghadiya timings are inherently location-specific — a slot in Mumbai during June monsoon differs significantly from one in Ahmedabad during December.

Tithimala calculates choghadiya by computing sunrise and sunset for the user's coordinates via Swiss Ephemeris, dividing the resulting daylight span by 8 to get the slot duration, and then assigning the correct type sequence based on the weekday. The same process runs for nighttime slots using sunset-to-next-sunrise. This ensures the timings reflect the user's actual location rather than relying on generic tables published for a single reference city.

Choghadiya is especially popular among business communities in Gujarat and Rajasthan, who routinely check it before signing contracts, dispatching goods, or starting journeys. While it is a simpler system compared to full muhurat analysis (which weighs tithi, nakshatra, yoga, and planetary positions), its ease of use makes it the most frequently consulted time-quality indicator in daily life.