What is lagna in a birth chart?

Lagna, also called the ascendant, is the zodiac point rising on the eastern horizon at the birth moment. Its sign sets the first whole-sign house in the D1 chart. Its degree identifies a more precise position within that sign.

The lagna is a reference point, not a planet. It depends on the birth time, latitude and longitude. The Moon sign and Sun sign describe the positions of those bodies instead.

Why the time matters

Different signs take different amounts of time to rise, and those intervals change with latitude. “One sign every two hours” is only an average across a day, not a reliable way to correct a particular birth time.

A small time change near a boundary can change the lagna sign and every whole-sign house number. Away from that boundary, the sign may stay the same while its degree and divisional placements change.

Finding it on the page

The Lagna row in Positions shows its sign, degree, nakshatra, pada and Navamsa sign. In the North Indian D1, the top central house holds the lagna sign. In the South Indian D1, the ascendant marker identifies that sign in the fixed-sign grid.

The uncertainty control checks selected changes around the entered time. A quiet warning panel does not establish that an uncertain time is exact.

Bhava lagna, Hora lagna, Ghati lagna and Sree lagna are separately calculated points. Their names do not make them alternative observations of the eastern horizon.

See the chart and its tables on the Kundli page.