This chart is in the shape of a yantra (a mystical diagram), with diamond-shaped houses. The Ascendant (known as the Lagna in Sanskrit) is always located at the top central position of the chart. The houses are read counter-clockwise from the Ascendant. In this diagram, H2 indicates the 2nd house, H3 the 3rd house, and so on. The arrows indicate the direction in which the houses are read. Since the Lagna is always set for this format, the typical North Indian chart will have numbers in each house to show what sign of the zodiac resides in that house. The zodiacal sign that is rising is indicated by a number from 1 to 12: Number 1 is Aries, 2 is Taurus, 3 is Gemini, etc. through each of the 12 houses. Thus, if number 3 is in the Lagna, Gemini is rising and is assigned to House 1, Cancer to House 2, Leo to House 3. All North Indian charts are read like this, and the birth chart is typically shown to the left or above the Navamsha, the 9th harmonic chart.
Month: July 2024
How to read a South Indian chart
South Indian Chart
In this square chart the 12 zodiacal signs (known as Rashis in Sanskrit) are always in the same squares. The Dual signs are in the four corners. Pisces is always in the upper left hand corner, followed directly by Aries, then Taurus, and Gemini in the upper right hand corner. Virgo is in the lower right hand corner, Sagittarius in the lower left. The signs and houses are read clockwise around the zodiac. The Ascendant can be in any one of these 12 signs, and the planets distributed according to where they are in the heavens. All South Indian charts are read like this, and the birth chart is typically shown to the left or above the Navamsha (the 9th harmonic chart.)