What is Gulik Kaal?

Gulik Kaal (Gulika kaal) is a daily inauspicious window — about 90 minutes if the day is roughly 12 hours long, though it shifts a little with the length of the day. You get it by dividing the daytime — sunrise to sunset — into eight equal parts and taking one fixed part, decided by the vaar (weekday). It is worked out the same way as Rahukaal and Yamaganda, but is considered a little milder than Rahukaal. It is different every day and different in every city, because it depends on that place's sunrise and sunset.

Gulik Kaal is one of the daily inauspicious time windows shown in the panchang — together with Rahukaal and Yamaganda, it belongs to the group of ‘inauspicious periods’ (ashubh vela). The daytime (sunrise to sunset) is divided into eight equal parts, and one fixed part is taken as Gulik Kaal.

By tradition, Gulika is said to be the son of Shani (Saturn) — a shadow/sub-element — so this window is believed to carry Shani's influence and is considered inauspicious.

This ‘inauspiciousness’ is a traditional belief, not an astronomical rule.

How Gulik Kaal is calculated

You need three things: your city's sunrise and sunset for that day, and the vaar (weekday).

1. Take the daytime — sunrise to sunset — and split it into 8 equal parts. Each part is about 90 minutes (a little more or less, depending on the length of the day).
2. One fixed part, decided by the vaar, is that day's Gulik Kaal (see the table below).
3. Rahukaal, Yamaganda and Gulik Kaal are all worked out by this same eight-part method — only which part falls on which weekday is different.

Because the length of daytime changes through the year, the exact length of each part shifts every day and by location — so no single clock time can be treated as valid everywhere.

Weekday (vaar) timings

Counting from sunrise, the table below shows which part of the daytime is Gulik Kaal for each vaar. (This matches this site's panchang data exactly.)

Example times — for one Maharashtra reference location only (taking sunrise ≈ 6:07 AM, sunset ≈ 7:18 PM):

⚠️ The clock times above are only an example for one reference location, assuming a daytime of about 13 hours. The real time shifts every day and in every city. For your city's exact time today, see the today's panchang page or that day's page.

Why it differs by day and by city

• Different every day: sunrise and sunset shift through the year, so the 8 parts change in length and position, and Gulik Kaal moves a little each day.
• Different in every city: sunrise and sunset depend on location, so no two cities — Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolhapur — have the same Gulik Kaal.

⚠️ The time on this site is a Maharashtra reference value, not a city-specific guarantee. For your city it will shift with the local sunrise and sunset.

One window or two?

Some sources say Gulika occurs ‘twice a day,’ while most panchangs and this site show a single daily window (during the daytime).

This difference likely comes from mixing up Gulika/Mandi lagna (a point in the horoscope, which also has a night value) with Gulik Kaal (the eighth part of the daytime).

This panchang shows the one daily daytime window — that is, the single vaar-based part described above.

What to avoid (traditionally)

Traditionally, people are advised to avoid starting new, auspicious work during Gulik Kaal — launching a new business or venture, an auspicious ceremony, a journey, a wedding, or a big purchase. This is a traditional practice and varies by family and region, so it should not be treated as a universal rule.

One particular belief is that whatever is begun during Gulik Kaal tends to recur (happen again and again) — so anything you do not want repeated (for example a loan, or an unwelcome event) is especially avoided during this window.

Compared with Rahukaal and Yamaganda

• Same: all three are daily inauspicious periods; all three come from the eight parts of the daytime, a different part by vaar; each part changes with the length of the day (about 90 minutes for a 12-hour day).
• Different: Rahukaal is the most well-known and is treated as the strictest; Gulik Kaal is considered comparatively milder, but is set apart by the belief that whatever begins during it tends to recur.
• By contrast, Abhijit muhurat (the window around solar midday) is considered auspicious — the opposite of the inauspicious Gulik/Rahu/Yamaganda windows. The panchang shows both sides together.

Good to know

• The Gulik Kaal time is different every day and in every city — do not assume a single fixed time; check the panchang or that day's page.
• These windows are muhurat guidance based on astrological belief — do not decide medical or legal matters by them.

FAQ

What is Gulik Kaal?

It is a window — about 90 minutes on a roughly 12-hour day, though it shifts with the length of the day — considered inauspicious, that you get by dividing the daytime (sunrise to sunset) into eight parts and taking one part by vaar. By tradition it carries the influence of Gulika (believed to be a shadow-element and the son of Shani).

How is Gulik Kaal calculated?

Split that day's daytime (sunrise to sunset) into eight equal parts; the part fixed by the vaar is Gulik Kaal (Sun 7th, Mon 6th, Tue 5th, Wed 4th, Thu 3rd, Fri 2nd, Sat 1st).

What should you not do during Gulik Kaal?

Traditionally, starting new work, auspicious ceremonies, journeys, big purchases, weddings and the like are avoided; anything you do not want repeated is especially avoided. (Varies by family custom.)

What is the difference between Gulik Kaal and Rahukaal?

Both are daily inauspicious periods worked out the same way; Rahukaal is stricter and better known, while Gulik Kaal is milder but is set apart by the belief that whatever begins during it tends to recur.

What time is Gulik Kaal today?

The time changes by date and by city — so check the today's panchang page for the exact time; it is not hardcoded here.