What is Nalla Neram in Tamil Gowri Panchangam? நல்ல நேரம் என்றால் என்ன?
Nalla Neram (நல்ல நேரம்) is the daily auspicious window in Tamil Gowri Panchangam — the part of the day considered favorable for starting new work, travel, or important tasks. It is calculated by dividing the time between sunrise and sunset into 12 equal segments called horas, then choosing the segments ruled by benefic planets for that weekday. Because it depends on local sunrise and sunset, your Nalla Neram differs from family in Tamil Nadu by a few minutes to a few hours depending on where you live.
What is Rahu Kalam and why is it inauspicious? ராகு காலம் என்றால் என்ன?
Rahu Kalam (ராகு காலம்) is a daily ~90-minute window when the shadow planet Rahu is said to dominate. Tradition holds that auspicious work begun during Rahu Kalam meets obstacles. The window varies by weekday and is calculated as a specific 1/8 segment of the daytime hours from sunrise to sunset, so it shifts slightly between cities. Most observant Tamil families avoid signing contracts, starting journeys, or beginning new ventures during Rahu Kalam.
Why does my city’s Rahu Kalam differ from Tamil Nadu? எனது ஊரின் நேரம் ஏன் வேறுபடுகிறது?
Rahu Kalam, Yamagandam, Gulika, and Nalla Neram are all derived from the local sunrise and sunset of the place you are in. Sunrise shifts by about 4 minutes per degree of longitude, plus seasonal variation in day length. A reader in Singapore sees windows roughly 2.5 hours offset from Chennai; a reader in Toronto sees about 9.5 hours offset. This site geolocates each visitor and computes timings for that exact location — that is why the page shows different windows than a fixed-Indian-time calendar would.
What is the difference between Tithi and Nakshatram? திதியும் நட்சத்திரமும் தமிழில்
Tithi (திதி) is the lunar day — the angular separation between moon and sun divided into 30 segments of 12° each. It tells you where the moon is in its phase cycle (Prathama, Dvitiya, ... Pournami, ... Amavasai). Nakshatram (நட்சத்திரம்) is the moon’s position against the 27-segment lunar zodiac — which star group the moon is in (Ashwini, Bharani, ... Revati). Both change daily but at different moments. Hindu rituals and festivals are anchored to one or the other or both: Krishna Jayanthi uses tithi and nakshatram together, Ekadashi vratam uses tithi alone.