Find your Vimshottari Mahadasha and Antardasha timeline from date, time, and place of birth. Uses sidereal Lahiri ayanamsa and the classical 365.25-day Vimshottari convention.
100% private - the Dasha calculation runs entirely in your browser. No birth data sent anywhere.
Supports 1900 onwards for better calculation reliability.
Birth time helps place your starting Mahadasha lord accurately when the Moon is near a nakshatra boundary (~33 minute ambiguity at the bound).
Free Janam Kundli with D1 and D9 charts, planetary positions, Vimshottari Dasha, and Mangal Dosha. Lahiri sidereal.
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astrology| Total cycle | 120 years (sum of 9 planet periods) |
| Number of Mahadashas | 9 |
| Mahadasha order (canonical) | Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury |
| Years per lord (same order) | 7, 20, 6, 10, 7, 18, 16, 19, 17 |
| Starting lord | Determined by Moon’s nakshatra at birth |
| Antardasha levels | 9 per Mahadasha (81 Antardashas total within the 120-year cycle) |
| Convention | 1 dasha year = 365.25 days |
| Required input | Date, time, and place of birth |
| Engine | Meeus VSOP87 + Lahiri ayanamsa (same as Kundli) |
| Privacy | 100% client-side; no birth data leaves browser |
Vimshottari Dasha (from Sanskrit vimshottari meaning ‘120’) is the most widely used planetary-period system in Vedic astrology. It is the canonical dasha framework in Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra and forms the backbone of every standard Indian birth chart reading. The full cycle spans 120 years and rotates through 9 planetary lords: the 7 classical planets (Sun through Saturn) plus the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu.
The Vimshottari cycle is unique to each person because it is anchored to the position of the Moon in your birth nakshatra. The lord of that nakshatra is your starting Mahadasha, and the balance of that first Mahadasha is proportional to how much of the nakshatra was still ahead of the Moon at your birth.
The 9 Mahadasha lords run in a fixed sequence; each has its own fixed number of years. The total adds to exactly 120, which is why the system is called Vimshottari (the Sanskrit word for 120).
| Order # | Mahadasha lord | Sanskrit name | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ketu | Ketu | 7 |
| 2 | Venus | Shukra | 20 |
| 3 | Sun | Ravi | 6 |
| 4 | Moon | Chandra | 10 |
| 5 | Mars | Mangal | 7 |
| 6 | Rahu | Rahu | 18 |
| 7 | Jupiter | Guru | 16 |
| 8 | Saturn | Shani | 19 |
| 9 | Mercury | Budh | 17 |
| Total | 120 |
Note: popular literature sometimes lists this sequence starting from Sun for memorability. The underlying cycle is the same in either case; this tool uses the canonical BPHS order (Ketu first) so the ‘order position’ column matches the engine internals. The starting Mahadasha for any specific person is the lord of their Moon’s nakshatra at birth, not necessarily Ketu.
Vedic astrology divides the sidereal zodiac into 27 nakshatras (lunar mansions), each spanning 13 degrees 20 minutes. Each nakshatra is assigned to one of the 9 Vimshottari lords; the assignment cycles 3 times through the 27 nakshatras. So Ketu rules Ashwini, Magha, and Mula; Venus rules Bharani, Purva Phalguni, and Purva Ashadha; and so on through the cycle.
The Moon’s position at your birth lands in one specific nakshatra; that nakshatra’s lord becomes your starting Mahadasha. The balance of that first Mahadasha is the fraction of nakshatra still ahead of the Moon (out of the 13.333 degree span), times the lord’s full Mahadasha years. After this truncated first period, full Mahadashas proceed in canonical order.
Because the Moon moves only about 13 degrees per day, the Moon’s nakshatra changes roughly every 24 hours. Near a nakshatra boundary, even a small uncertainty in birth time can flip your starting Mahadasha lord. This tool flags such boundary cases explicitly so you can verify your birth time before relying on the timeline.
Vimshottari Dasha is hierarchical. Each Mahadasha is sub-divided into 9 Antardashas in the same canonical lord sequence, with each Antardasha’s length proportional to its lord’s years out of 120. Each Antardasha can be further sub-divided into 9 Pratyantardashas at a third level. Some traditions go deeper to Sookshma and Praana.
| Level | Name | Typical duration | Computed from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahadasha | 6 to 20 years (planet-specific) | Moon’s nakshatra at birth |
| 2 | Antardasha | months to years | (subLord years / 120) x Mahadasha duration |
| 3 | Pratyantardasha | weeks to months | (subSubLord years / 120) x Antardasha duration |
This tool returns Mahadasha + Antardasha in v1. Pratyantardasha is on the roadmap.
The output above is structured in three sections. Currently Running shows your active Mahadasha and active Antardasha, with their start and end dates and an approximate time remaining. Full Mahadasha Timeline lists all 9 Mahadashas of your personalized timeline from birth, starting with the remaining balance of your first Mahadasha; the current row is highlighted and auto-expanded to show its 9 Antardashas. You can expand any other Mahadasha row to see its Antardashas as well.
For periods past a typical lifespan, the timeline folds Mahadashas that end more than ~50 years beyond your current age into an expandable ‘remaining Mahadashas’ section so the active part of the timeline stays readable. The third section Antardashas of your current Mahadasha repeats the active Mahadasha’s 9 sub-periods as a standalone flat table for quick reference.
The most common reason people use a Vimshottari calculator is to answer one question: what is my current Mahadasha and Antardasha right now? After entering your birth details above, the Currently Running card surfaces this directly, naming both the active Mahadasha lord (English + Sanskrit name) and the active Antardasha lord, along with their start and end dates.
Time remaining is computed from today’s date in your browser; refresh the page after any date boundary and the Antardasha may advance to the next sub-lord in the sequence.
Vimshottari Dasha is the most widely used planetary-period system in Vedic astrology. It assigns each of nine planets (the seven classical planets plus the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu) a fixed number of years; the total cycle is 120 years. Your starting Mahadasha is determined by the Moon's nakshatra at birth, and the 9 lords run in a fixed sequence from there. The Sanskrit word vimshottari literally means '120'.
120 years total. The 9 planet periods (in canonical Vimshottari order) are: Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17. These sum exactly to 120. One dasha year is 365.25 days by classical convention.
The starting Mahadasha lord is the lord of the nakshatra (lunar mansion) in which the Moon sits at your moment of birth. Vedic astrology assigns each of the 27 nakshatras to one of the 9 dasha lords (3 nakshatras per lord, repeated). For example: Ashwini, Magha, and Mula are ruled by Ketu; Bharani, Purva Phalguni, and Purva Ashadha by Venus; and so on. The balance of your first Mahadasha is proportional to how much of the Moon's nakshatra was still ahead at birth.
A Mahadasha is the main planetary period (6 to 20 years depending on the lord). Each Mahadasha is sub-divided into 9 Antardashas in the same fixed lord sequence as the main cycle, with each Antardasha sized proportionally to its lord's years out of 120. So in a 16-year Jupiter Mahadasha the Jupiter Antardasha lasts (16/120) * 16 years and the Saturn Antardasha lasts (19/120) * 16 years, summing to the full 16 years across all 9 sub-periods.
Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19, Mercury 17. The order is the canonical Vimshottari sequence (sometimes restated starting from Sun in popular literature, but the underlying cycle is the same). Total: 120 years.
No. The 9 Mahadashas each appear exactly once in your personalized timeline. The Vimshottari reference cycle is 120 years; your specific timeline starts at birth with the remaining balance of your first Mahadasha and runs through the 8 subsequent full Mahadashas, so the total from birth is usually slightly less than 120 years. You may live through only 4 to 6 of these Mahadashas depending on which lord your cycle starts with and your lifespan. The full timeline is shown for completeness, with periods that end more than ~50 years beyond your current age folded into an expandable section.
Because the Vimshottari cycle is anchored to your birth Moon's nakshatra position. The first Mahadasha is truncated to the balance remaining in your birth nakshatra (the fraction of the nakshatra the Moon had not yet crossed at the moment of your birth), times the lord's full Mahadasha years. From the end of that truncated first period, full Mahadashas proceed in fixed sequence.
Pratyantardasha is the third-level sub-division of Vimshottari Dasha, sitting below Mahadasha and Antardasha. Each Antardasha contains 9 Pratyantardashas in the same lord sequence, again scaled proportionally. Some practitioners go deeper to Sookshma and Praana levels. This tool ships Mahadasha + Antardasha in v1; Pratyantardasha is on the roadmap.
The Moon position is computed from Meeus VSOP87 lunar theory with Lahiri ayanamsa - the Indian Government Rashtriya Panchang convention. Typical precision is approximately 0.3 degrees vs Swiss Ephemeris. The Moon moves ~0.549 degrees per hour, so 0.3 degrees translates to roughly 33 minutes of birth-time uncertainty for the starting Mahadasha lord if you are born near a nakshatra boundary. The same engine bound propagates lord-dependent date drift on the first Mahadasha end (roughly 49 days for Sun, up to 164 days for Venus). The tool flags nakshatra-boundary cases explicitly.
Vimshottari Dasha is the default and most widely used dasha system in classical North Indian Vedic astrology and the BPHS tradition. Alternative dasha systems exist - Yogini Dasha (36 years), Ashtottari Dasha (108 years), Char Dasha, and others - and are sometimes used as cross-references. For a general personal dasha timeline, Vimshottari is the canonical answer.
Want your full birth chart with D1 and D9 charts, planetary positions, Mangal Dosha analysis, and the same Vimshottari Dasha output embedded? Free Kundli Generator computes the complete chart.
Need just your Moon sign or Ascendant first? Rashi Calculator finds your Janma Rashi, Lagna Rashi, Nakshatra, and Pada from the same birth details.
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