Astangata means "set" — a graha too close to the Sun to be seen, and traditionally held to be too weakened to support what it governs. Venus governs marriage, so weddings are not customarily fixed while Venus is combust.
Computed from the ephemeris for Coimbatore · Lahiri ayanamsa · orb 10.0° direct, 8.0° retrograde
| From | Until | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 26 November 2025 11:14 AM | 17 February 2026 2:30 PM | 83.1 days |
| 19 October 2026 8:10 AM | 29 October 2026 9:34 AM | 10.1 days |
| 6 July 2027 8:09 PM | 17 September 2027 10:15 PM | 73.1 days |
| 27 May 2028 1:08 PM | 6 June 2028 5:45 PM | 10.2 days |
| 11 February 2029 11:30 AM | 1 May 2029 9:52 PM | 79.4 days |
| 1 January 2030 7:48 PM | 11 January 2030 5:45 PM | 9.9 days |
| 12 September 2030 6:44 PM | 29 November 2030 4:55 PM | 77.9 days |
| From | Until | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14 July 2026 6:09 PM | 13 August 2026 3:58 PM | 29.9 days |
| 16 August 2027 7:47 PM | 15 September 2027 3:18 AM | 29.3 days |
| 16 September 2028 8:39 AM | 15 October 2028 12:51 AM | 28.7 days |
| 17 October 2029 2:04 AM | 14 November 2029 5:47 AM | 28.2 days |
| 16 November 2030 9:01 PM | 14 December 2030 5:56 PM | 27.9 days |
Related · All transits · Tithi calendar · Today's panchang
A planet is astangata when it comes within a certain number of degrees of the Sun and is lost in its glare. For Venus the classical limit is around ten degrees, though it varies with whether Venus is ahead of or behind the Sun.
The reasoning is observational as much as astrological: a graha that cannot be seen is held to be unable to give its result. The texts describe it as the planet being burnt, or asleep.
Venus is the karaka of marriage, of the wife, of comfort and of the pleasures of settled life. It is the significator on which a wedding depends, so its temporary incapacity is treated as disqualifying for that purpose above all others.
Jupiter's combustion is treated similarly for its own domains — children, learning and counsel — and both are checked before a marriage muhurta is given.
Venus passes the Sun in two ways. In superior combustion it is behind the Sun and moving direct; in inferior it passes between Earth and Sun and is usually retrograde. The second is held the more restrictive.
Practically both are avoided, though some traditions treat the retrograde passage as requiring a slightly wider buffer on either side.
How wide the exclusion runs differs between traditions. Some families avoid only the exact combustion; others add a week either side while Venus is still faint. North Indian practice tends to be stricter than southern on the buffer.
Where your families follow different conventions, this is worth settling early rather than discovering it after a date is chosen.
Marriage dates that already exclude Astangata, Margazhi and the rest.
Ashtakoota and Porutham compatibility before a date is fixed.
The rites performed for delayed marriage — unaffected by Astangata.
Which solar months are favoured for weddings, and which are avoided.
Speak to the priest conducting it before doing anything else. Practice varies, and a marriage already fixed and announced is not usually cancelled on this ground — the classical texts weigh a broken commitment heavily too. Where the date cannot move, priests commonly prescribe additional propitiation rather than treating the marriage as inauspicious. This is a question for the person performing the ceremony, not for a calendar.
Not recommended is closer. The reasoning is that Venus, the significator of marriage, cannot give its result while invisible — so the blessing the muhurta is meant to secure is held to be unavailable. It is a restriction on choosing the date rather than a curse on the union. This distinction matters, and a good deal of what is written online overstates it.
Yes. Rituals are not restricted by it — including the marriage rituals performed to remove obstacles to a future alliance. The exclusion applies to beginning worldly undertakings, not to worship. Our priests perform homas throughout these periods, on muhurtas calculated from your own chart. Marriage rituals →
Traditions differ. Some observe only the exact combustion; many add three to seven days at each end, while Venus is technically visible but still faint. North Indian practice is generally stricter on the buffer than southern. Where two families follow different conventions, settle it before a date is chosen rather than after.
Checked alongside it, and it rules out further weeks. Jupiter is combust roughly once a year for about a month, and since it is the significator of children and counsel, its invisibility is treated as similarly disqualifying for marriage muhurtas. Between the two, plus the excluded months, the genuinely available dates in a year are fewer than most families expect — which is why muhurtas are calculated rather than picked.
Yes — the list above covers it. Griha pravesh, upanayanam, starting a business and other beginnings are commonly deferred. What is not affected is anything already underway, anything following the lunar calendar such as ancestral rites, and all worship. Ordinary life is not restricted in any way.
Once Astangata, the excluded months and Guru moudhyam are set aside, the remaining dates still have to suit both charts. Our astrologers calculate marriage muhurtas individually, and the fee is credited in full against any ritual you book.