What is Tithi?

Tithi (तिथि) is a lunar day, measured by each 12° advance of the Moon's longitude ahead of the Sun.

A full lunar cycle contains 30 tithis. They are not fixed 24-hour days: the Sun and Moon move at changing apparent speeds, so a tithi can begin or end at any clock time.

Read the name and paksha together

There are 15 tithis in each paksha. Shukla Paksha is the waxing half, ending with Purnima (पूर्णिमा). Krishna Paksha is the waning half, ending with Amavasya (अमावस्या).

Names such as Shashthi (षष्ठी, sixth) and Saptami (सप्तमी, seventh) recur in both halves. “Krishna Paksha Shashthi” identifies the sixth lunar day of the waning half. The paksha is needed to distinguish it from Shukla Shashthi.

Read the ending time

On Delhi's Panchang for 2 October 2026, the row reads Krishna Paksha Shashthi until 10:15, then Saptami.

Shashthi is active at sunrise, 06:14. At 10:15, Saptami begins. The section is called Panchang at sunrise, so it continues to show Shashthi as the morning's value even later in the day.

A tithi is not a calendar date

A tithi can cover two successive sunrises, or begin and end between them. This explains why a daily calendar can repeat a tithi name or pass over one in its sunrise labels.

A festival may use a particular part of the day to determine its date. The sunrise label alone does not settle every observance. See why sunrise matters and tithi versus Moon phase.

Tithi names and numbers

The first 14 names repeat in both pakshas. The fifteenth is Purnima in Shukla Paksha and Amavasya in Krishna Paksha.

Number within the paksha	Name
1	Pratipada (प्रतिपदा)
2	Dvitiya (द्वितीया)
3	Tritiya (तृतीया)
4	Chaturthi (चतुर्थी)
5	Panchami (पञ्चमी)
6	Shashthi (षष्ठी)
7	Saptami (सप्तमी)
8	Ashtami (अष्टमी)
9	Navami (नवमी)
10	Dashami (दशमी)
11	Ekadashi (एकादशी)
12	Dwadashi (द्वादशी)
13	Trayodashi (त्रयोदशी)
14	Chaturdashi (चतुर्दशी)
15	Purnima (पूर्णिमा) or Amavasya (अमावस्या)

In a continuous 1–30 count, Krishna Pratipada is 16 and Amavasya is 30. “Krishna Saptami” is therefore seventh within its paksha and twenty-second in that continuous count.

Traditional tithi groups

Traditional muhurta readings use a repeating five-group classification:

Group	Positions within each paksha
Nanda (नन्दा)	1, 6, 11
Bhadra (भद्रा)	2, 7, 12
Jaya or Vijaya (जया / विजया)	3, 8, 13
Rikta (रिक्ता)	4, 9, 14
Purna (पूर्णा)	5, 10, 15

These groups help organise traditional activity rules. Purnima and Amavasya retain their distinct observance rules even though both end a paksha. The group name is not a complete Good or Avoid rating.

Bhadra tithi group and Bhadra karana are different. The former groups tithis 2, 7 and 12; the latter is another name for Vishti karana.

The interpretation guide places tithi groups alongside the other parts of the Panchang. See today's tithi on the Delhi dashboard, or select a city on the home page.