Rahu Kaal on Wednesday
On Wednesday — Budhavara, ruled by Mercury — Rahu Kaal is the fifth of the day's eight parts. On a day where the sun rises at 6:00 and sets at 18:00 that works out to 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM, which is the figure the almanacs print. Your city's actual window is below.
Rahu Kaal on Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Computed from each city's own sunrise and sunset, not from the nominal 6-to-6 day.
| City | Rahu Kaal | Sunrise |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 12:12 PM – 1:43 PM | 6:10 AM |
| Mumbai | 12:30 PM – 2:01 PM | 6:28 AM |
| Bengaluru | 12:11 PM – 1:42 PM | 6:09 AM |
| Chennai | 12:00 PM – 1:31 PM | 5:58 AM |
| Kolkata | 11:28 AM – 12:59 PM | 5:26 AM |
| Hyderabad | 12:08 PM – 1:38 PM | 6:06 AM |
| Pune | 12:26 PM – 1:57 PM | 6:24 AM |
| Ahmedabad | 12:31 PM – 2:02 PM | 6:29 AM |
What Wednesday is for
Wednesday belongs to Mercury, which rules intellect, trade, accounts, writing and short journeys. It is the weekday tradition favours for contracts, study, commerce and anything where the terms matter more than the ceremony. Rahu Kaal is the fifth part, straight through the middle of the day, which makes Wednesday the most awkward of the week to plan around: the window sits where the working day usually does.
Why the time is different in each city
Rahu Kaal is a share of daylight rather than a fixed hour. Take the interval from sunrise to sunset, divide it into eight equal parts, and on Wednesday the fifth part is Rahu Kaal.
That is why Kolkata's window opens well before Ahmedabad's: the sun reaches Kolkata first, and India keeps a single time zone across nearly thirty degrees of longitude. It is also why the window drifts through the year — a longer summer day makes each of the eight parts longer.
So a fixed 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM is a rounded convenience, accurate only on a day of exactly twelve hours. For anything you actually care about, use your own city's sunrise.
How far it moves — Delhi, across a year
The same weekday, four points in the year, same city.
| Season | Rahu Kaal | Sunrise |
|---|---|---|
| Late March | 12:27 PM – 1:58 PM | 6:22 AM |
| Late June | 12:23 PM – 2:07 PM | 5:25 AM |
| Late September | 12:13 PM – 1:44 PM | 6:10 AM |
| Late December | 12:18 PM – 1:35 PM | 7:10 AM |
What it is for
Rahu Kaal is treated as an inauspicious window — traditionally avoided for starting something new: a journey, a purchase, a signing, a first meeting. Work already under way is not thought to be affected, and neither is anything routine.
Two other periods work the same way and are usually read alongside it: Yamaganda and Gulika Kaal, each another of the eight parts. Against them sits Abhijit Muhurat around midday, considered broadly favourable. All three, for today and your city, are on the panchang page.
Common questions
What time is Rahu Kaal on Wednesday?
On Wednesday Rahu Kaal is the fifth of the eight equal parts between sunrise and sunset. On a day running from 6:00 to 18:00 that works out to 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM, which is the figure almanacs print. For Delhi on 23 September 2026 it is 12:12 PM to 1:43 PM, because the sun rises there at 6:10 AM rather than at six.
Why is Rahu Kaal on Wednesday different in each city?
Rahu Kaal is a share of daylight rather than a fixed hour, so it moves with local sunrise. India keeps one time zone across nearly thirty degrees of longitude, which means the sun reaches Kolkata well before Ahmedabad. On 23 September 2026 the window opens at 11:28 AM in Kolkata and 12:31 PM in Ahmedabad.
Does Rahu Kaal on Wednesday stay the same all year?
No. The eight parts are slices of daylight, so they stretch in summer and shrink in winter, and every boundary moves with them. In Delhi the Wednesday window runs 12:23 PM to 2:07 PM near the June solstice and 12:18 PM to 1:35 PM near the December one. The part number never changes; only the clock time does.
Which planet rules Wednesday, and what is the day used for?
Wednesday is Budhavara, ruled by Mercury and kept for Ganesha and Vishnu. Wednesday belongs to Mercury, which rules intellect, trade, accounts, writing and short journeys. It is the weekday tradition favours for contracts, study, commerce and anything where the terms matter more than the ceremony. Rahu Kaal is the fifth part, straight through the middle of the day, which makes Wednesday the most awkward of the week to plan around: the window sits where the working day usually does.
What should you avoid during Rahu Kaal?
Custom treats it as unsuitable for starting something new — a journey, a purchase, a signing, a first meeting. Work already under way is generally considered unaffected, and so is anything routine. It is guidance about when to begin, not a prediction about how things will turn out.