Lagna is the sidereal rising sign: the rashi on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. It is also called the Ascendant. An accurate birth time is required. Daanyam's Sun, Moon, and Rising calculator returns this sidereal Lagna together with the sidereal Sun and Moon.
Definition
Lagna is the sidereal rashi rising in the east at birth. English readers also call it the Ascendant or the rising sign. It is not the Sun sign. Because the horizon changes through the day, the clock time is part of the calculation, along with the date and the place.
How it works
At birth, one sidereal rashi is on the eastern horizon. That rashi is Lagna.
The rising sign changes through the day, so date and place without a time are not enough for Lagna.
Daanyam's Sun, Moon, and Rising calculator returns the sidereal Lagna with the sidereal Sun and Moon. This guide does not list the twelve houses.
Reference
What Lagna is, and what this guide leaves out
| Point | Reading |
|---|---|
| What it is | The sidereal rashi on the eastern horizon at birth. |
| Other names | Ascendant and rising sign. Not the Sun sign. |
| Birth time | Required. The rising sign changes through the day. |
| Houses | Counted from Lagna in a full chart. This guide does not print house degrees. |
Worked example
The Lagna in the table is the sidereal rising sign stored for this birth. It is not a house-by-house chart.
| Birth | Male, born 12 Aug 1995, 14:30 IST, Delhi |
|---|---|
| Date | 1995-08-12 |
| Time | 14:30 |
| Timezone | Asia/Kolkata |
| Lagna | Vrishchika (sidereal Scorpio) |
| Moon sign | Kumbha (sidereal Aquarius) |
| Moon nakshatra | Shatabhisha |
| Birth Mahadasha lord | Rahu |
| Lahiri ayanamsa | 23.798597° |
A common confusion
Lagna is not the Sun sign, and it is not a list of houses. A full chart counts houses from Lagna. This page does not assign planets to houses.
Calculate it
Use Sun, Moon, and Rising for the sidereal Lagna. The Vedic birth chart page is the doorway into the free explainer.
How the numbers are computed
The method page records the ayanamsa, the house convention, and what the engine does not compute.
Questions
What is Lagna?
Lagna is the sidereal sign rising on the eastern horizon at birth. It is also called the Ascendant. Daanyam calculates it in the sidereal zodiac, not as a tropical rising sign.
Can I calculate Lagna without a birth time?
No. Lagna is the sign on the eastern horizon, and that sign changes through the day. The Sun, Moon, and Rising calculator needs the date, the time, and the place.
Is Lagna the same as the Sun sign?
No. The Sun sign is the rashi of the Sun. Lagna is the rashi on the horizon. They can match, and they often do not. The calculator returns both.