What is the Mars mahadasha?
The Mars mahadasha (Mangal mahadasha, Mangal dasha) is the 7-year period ruled by Mars in the Vimshottari dasha system, the 120-year cycle of planetary periods used in Vedic astrology. Mangal is the commander among the planets. He stands for energy, courage, land and property, siblings, competition and action, which is why his period so often brings drive, effort and property matters.
It comes after the 10-year Moon period and before the 18-year Rahu period, and runs through nine sub-periods (antardashas), from Mars–Mars to Mars–Moon. Mars has a fierce reputation, but tradition describes his period as anything from very rewarding to demanding, depending on his sign, house and company in your chart.
Quick answers
- How long is it? 7 years, with nine antardashas from about 4 months (Sun) to 1 year 2 months (Venus).
- Is it good? When Mars is strong: exalted in Capricorn, in his own signs Aries or Scorpio, strong in a kendra, the 11th, 2nd or 3rd, tradition expects position, land, wealth and victory over rivals.
- For whom is it best? For Cancer and Leo ascendants Mars is a yogakaraka, and for Pisces he rules wealth and fortune, so his period is counted especially good for them.
- What comes after? The 18-year Rahu mahadasha: ambition, change and wider horizons.
- When does mine start? It depends on the Moon’s nakshatra at birth. Enter your birth details above for your exact dates.
The Mars mahadasha by the numbers
Because the order of the periods is fixed and only the starting point changes with the Moon at birth, the cycle can be worked out for everyone at once, with the Moon equally likely anywhere in the sky:
Nobody has two Mars mahadashas in a lifetime: the next one is 113 years away. Counting Mars's sub-periods inside every other mahadasha as well, about 1 in 9 adults are under Mars's influence at any time. And there is no fixed “Mars age”: when it starts depends entirely on the nakshatra the Moon was in at your birth.
| Moon at birth in | Your Mars mahadasha begins |
|---|---|
| Mrigashira, Chitra, Dhanishta | born in it; over by age 7 |
| Rohini, Hasta, Shravana | between birth and 10 |
| Krittika, Uttara Phalguni, Uttara Ashadha | 10 to 16 |
| Bharani, Purva Phalguni, Purva Ashadha | 16 to 36 |
| Ashwini, Magha, Mula | 36 to 43 |
| Ashlesha, Jyeshtha, Revati | 43 to 60 |
| Pushya, Anuradha, Uttara Bhadrapada | 60 to 79 |
| Punarvasu, Vishakha, Purva Bhadrapada | 79 to 95 |
| Ardra, Swati, Shatabhisha | 95 to 113 |
What decides how your Mars period goes
Tradition judges Mars’s period by his sign, his house and the planets around him:
- Most rewarding: Mars exalted in Capricorn, in his own signs Aries or Scorpio, strong in a kendra, the 11th or the 2nd, in a benefic navamsa, or with a benefic: a rise in position, land, wealth, gains from abroad, vehicles and good relations with siblings.
- Courage and victory: a strong Mars in a kendra or the 3rd brings gains through effort, victory over rivals and family happiness.
- Asks for care: Mars debilitated in Cancer, weak, in the 6th, 8th or 12th, or with or aspected by malefics: patience, a cool temper and care with money and health.
- The houses he rules: Mars rules two houses for every ascendant; for Cancer and Leo he is a yogakaraka, ruling a pillar house and a house of fortune.
The tool above applies all of these to your chart.
Mars mahadasha by house
| Mars in | Tradition | What his period centres on |
|---|---|---|
| 1st house | Among his best | Energy, courage and drive; keep a check on temper and haste. |
| 2nd house | Among his best | Earning through effort and property; speak gently in the family. |
| 3rd house | Among his best | Courage, initiative and victory over rivals: one of Mars's strongest houses. |
| 4th house | Among his best | Land, property, vehicles and building a home. |
| 5th house | Supported | Competitive study, sport and bold investments; patience with children. |
| 6th house | Asks for care | You beat rivals and debts, but watch injuries, inflammation and disputes. |
| 7th house | Among his best | A dynamic partner and business drive; avoid quarrels at home. |
| 8th house | Asks for care | Research and sudden change; drive carefully and look after your health. |
| 9th house | Supported | Fortune through effort, travel and conviction; respect differing views. |
| 10th house | Among his best | Career drive, authority and results: Mars is strong in the 10th. |
| 11th house | Among his best | Gains, property and ambitions fulfilled. |
| 12th house | Asks for care | Expenses, foreign links and rest; avoid overwork and impulsive spending. |
Mars rules two houses for every ascendant: for Aries and Scorpio ascendants he is the lagna lord, for Cancer and Leo a yogakaraka, and for Pisces the lord of wealth and fortune. The tool reads your own houses.
The nine antardashas of the Mars mahadasha
Each sub-period lasts 7 years times the sub-period planet's years, divided by 120, in this order. Your own dates, and how each one reads for your chart, are in the tool above.
Mars mahadasha, Mars (Mangal) antardasha · 4 months 27 days
Mangal at full strength opens the period.
A well-placed or strong Mars brings gains, support from people in authority and gains in house and land. In the 8th or 12th, avoid conflicts and care for your health.
Traditional remedy: Rudra japa to Bhagwan Shiv, with charity.
Mars mahadasha, Rahu antardasha · 1 year 18 days
Ambition, property and journeys.
Rahu well placed with a benefic brings recognition, property, profits and journeys. In a hidden house or afflicted, care for your health and avoid risky ventures.
Traditional remedy: Naga puja, feeding Brahmins and the Mahamrityunjaya mantra.
Mars mahadasha, Jupiter (Guru) antardasha · 11 months 6 days
Honour, home and happiness.
A strong Jupiter brings a good reputation, honours, a house or land and family well-being. Weak, keep relations with staff and siblings calm.
Traditional remedy: reciting the Shiva Sahasranama.
Mars mahadasha, Saturn (Shani) antardasha · 1 year 1 month 9 days
A sub-period tradition treats with care.
Unusually, tradition counts Saturn well placed from Mars against this stretch, so travel carefully and avoid hasty decisions. With your ascendant lord or a benefic, recognition and a growing reputation.
Traditional remedy: the Mahamrityunjaya mantra to Bhagwan Shiv.
Mars mahadasha, Mercury (Budh) antardasha · 11 months 27 days
Good company, learning and authority.
A well-placed Mercury brings good company, a good name, a position of authority and the blessings of Maa Lakshmi. With malefics, avoid harsh words.
Traditional remedy: reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama, with charity.
Mars mahadasha, Ketu antardasha · 4 months 27 days
Gains that grow, after a slow start.
A well-placed Ketu brings support from people in authority and gains that grow later. In a hidden position from Mars, avoid quarrels.
Traditional remedy: reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama, with charity.
Mars mahadasha, Venus (Shukra) antardasha · 1 year 2 months
Comforts, property and celebrations.
A strong Venus brings a rise in position and comforts; well placed from Mars, property, a birth in the family and celebrations. Afflicted, protect your savings.
Traditional remedy: charity towards the care of cows (gau seva).
Mars mahadasha, Sun (Surya) antardasha · 4 months 6 days
Vitality, reputation and business.
A strong Sun brings vehicles, a good reputation, good health and profits. In a hidden position, rest well and avoid overstrain.
Traditional remedy: worship of Surya Dev.
Mars mahadasha, Moon (Chandra) antardasha · 7 months
Family and celebrations close the period.
A strong Moon brings a rise in position, celebrations such as weddings and good relations with parents. It closes Mars's period and hands over to Rahu.
Traditional remedy: the mantras of Maa Durga and Maa Lakshmi.
After Mars: the Rahu mahadasha
Mars’s period hands over to Rahu’s 18 years. Many people feel the change as a move from effort and action to ambition, change and wider horizons. The last sub-period of Mars, the Moon, brings family and celebrations before the handover. How your Rahu period goes depends on your Rahu, which the Rahu mahadasha page reads for you; your exact handover date is in the tool above and the dasha calculator.
Mars mahadasha for career, property, marriage and health
Career. Mars favours action: engineering, the forces, police, sport, surgery, construction, real estate, manufacturing and any role that needs courage and quick decisions. Promotions often come through hard work and taking charge.
Money and property. Mars is the karaka of land, so buying property, building a house and gains from real estate are classic Mars results. Impulsive spending and risky bets are his weakness.
Marriage and relationships. Mars brings passion and drive, and sometimes friction. Marriages happen in his period, often in the Venus or Moon sub-periods; patience in arguments goes a long way.
Siblings. Mars signifies brothers and sisters, so relations with siblings, and their fortunes, come forward in this period.
Health. Mars rules blood, muscles and energy. Accidents, cuts, fevers and inflammation are the things to guard against: exercise, safe driving and a cool head help.
Spiritual life. Devotion to Bhagwan Hanuman and to Bhagwan Kartikeya, and Tuesday prayer, are widely followed for Mars.
Remedies for the Mars mahadasha
- Devotion to Bhagwan Hanuman, such as the Hanuman Chalisa on Tuesdays, widely followed for Mars.
- Rudra japa and the Mahamrityunjaya mantra to Bhagwan Shiv, given by tradition in Mars’s own sub-periods.
- Mars’s mantra, such as “Om Kraam Kreem Kraum Sah Bhaumaya Namah”, recited with steady daily practice. Tradition sets a full count for it, best guided by a priest.
- Charity of red lentils (masoor dal) or jaggery on Tuesdays, and keeping good relations with siblings.
- Gemstones are not a general remedy: a stone that helps one chart can harm another, so we recommend one only in the complete reading, after checking your whole chart, with its cautions.
Each sub-period also has its own traditional remedy, listed with it above and in your reading.
Questions about the Mars mahadasha
How long is the Mars mahadasha?
Seven years. It follows the 10-year Moon mahadasha and is followed by the 18-year Rahu mahadasha. If you were born with the Moon in Mrigashira, Chitra or Dhanishta, your life began in the Mars period, so it was over by the age of seven.
Is the Mars mahadasha good?
When Mars is strong. Exalted in Capricorn, in his own signs Aries or Scorpio, or strong in a kendra, the 11th, 2nd or 3rd, tradition expects position, land, wealth and victory over rivals. Debilitated in Cancer, weak, in the 6th, 8th or 12th, or with malefics, the period asks for more care. Tradition adds that even a good Mars period can bring some difficulties towards its end.
Is the Mars mahadasha good for property?
Mars is the karaka of land, so buying property, building a house and gains from real estate are classic results of his period when he is well placed. Tradition names land and a house in several of his sub-periods.
Which antardasha of the Mars mahadasha is best?
There is no single answer for everyone. Each of the nine sub-periods is judged by where its planet sits from your ascendant and from Mars. Unusually, tradition counts the Saturn sub-period against you when Saturn is well placed from Mars. The tool above reads all nine for your chart.
Is the Mars mahadasha related to Manglik dosha?
They are different things. Manglik dosha is about Mars’s house in the birth chart and marriage matching; the Mars mahadasha is a time period. A Manglik chart does not make the Mars period bad, and the period comes to everyone, Manglik or not.
What happens after the Mars mahadasha ends?
The Rahu mahadasha begins: 18 years of ambition, change and wider horizons. How it goes depends on your Rahu, which the Rahu mahadasha page reads for you.
For which ascendants is the Mars mahadasha best?
For Cancer and Leo ascendants, Mars rules both a pillar house and a house of fortune, which makes him a yogakaraka; for Pisces he rules the 2nd and 9th houses of wealth and fortune. For these ascendants tradition counts his period as especially good, if he is not afflicted.
Mangal ki mahadasha kitne saal ki hoti hai?
Mangal ki mahadasha 7 saal ki hoti hai. Iske andar nau antardashas aati hain, Mangal–Mangal se shuru hokar Mangal–Chandra par khatam. Uske baad Rahu ki 18 saal ki mahadasha shuru hoti hai. Aapki apni dates upar ke tool mein dekh sakte hain.
Mangal ki mahadasha kaisi hoti hai?
Yeh aapki kundli mein Mangal ki sthiti par nirbhar hai. Mangal uchch (Makar), swarashi (Mesh, Vrishchik), ya kendra, 11th, 2nd, 3rd bhav mein balwan ho to parampara pad, bhoomi, dhan aur shatru par vijay maanti hai. Kark aur Singh lagna ke liye Mangal yogakarak hai. Neech ya 6th, 8th, 12th bhav mein ho to zyada dhyan rakhna padta hai.
Mangal ki mahadasha ke upay kya hain?
Mangalvaar ko Hanuman Ji ki puja aur Hanuman Chalisa, Bhagwan Shiv ka Rudra jaap, Mangal ke mantra ka jaap, masoor ki daal ya gud ka daan, aur bhai-behno se achhe sambandh. Ratna (gemstone) sirf poori kundli dekhkar hi chuna ja sakta hai, isliye hum use complete reading mein hi batate hain.
More periods: the Moon (Chandra) mahadasha that comes before Mars, the Rahu mahadasha that follows, the Jupiter (Guru) mahadasha, the Mercury (Budh) mahadasha, the Sun (Surya) mahadasha, the Venus (Shukra) mahadasha, the Shani (Saturn) mahadasha, the Ketu mahadasha, and all nine of yours in the dasha calculator.