राहु काल
Rahu Kaal — The Daily Inauspicious Window
राहु (Rāhu, the shadow planet) + काल (kāla, "time, period") — a roughly 90-minute daily window traditionally avoided for starting anything new.
How it's calculated
Daylight (sunrise to sunset) is divided into 8 equal parts. Rahu Kaal always falls in a specific one of those 8 parts depending on the weekday, in a fixed order.
Sunday
Illustrative example: 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Monday
Illustrative example: 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Tuesday
Illustrative example: 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Wednesday
Illustrative example: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Thursday
Illustrative example: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Friday
Illustrative example: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Saturday
Illustrative example: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Note: the times above are illustrative only, based on a 6:00 AM–6:00 PM day. Real sunrise/sunset shift daily and by city, so the actual clock time changes — a local Panchang gives the precise window for your location and date.
Related Panchang concepts
Rahu Kaal is one of several such windows; see also Choghadiya (a fuller 8-part system) and the favourable counterpart, Abhijit Muhurta. For the full explanation of what Rahu actually is and why its timing shifts daily, see our blog post What Is Rahu Kaal?