Grahan
Chandra grahan 31 December 2028
total lunar eclipse, seen in India
Seen across India. In Delhi from 8:37 PM to 12:06 AM on 1 Jan, a total lunar eclipse. Sutak from 11:37 AM, nine hours before it begins.
Is it seen, and when
Times in India (IST)
It falls in Mithun (Gemini) rashi, Ardra nakshatra. Each city’s times, as seen from there:
Every city that sees it sees all of it, from 8:37 PM to 12:06 AM on 1 Jan. The sutak begins at the same moment everywhere, 11:37 AM.
Seen from: Delhi, Agra, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Madurai, Mumbai, Mysore, Nagpur, Nashik, Noida, Patna, Prayagraj, Pune, Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Vadodara, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam.
Sutak, and what households keep
Sutak begins nine hours before the grahan and lasts to its end, only where it is seen
- The kitchen stops for the sutakNo fresh cooking from the start of the sutak to the end of the grahan; tulsi leaves or kusha grass are laid in stored food and water, which households keep as protecting it.
- The temple and the idols are coveredTemples close their doors and homes cover their idols; worship is by japa, not by touch.
- Japa during the grahanThe grahan is held the best time for japa of one’s mantra: a mantra said then is said to bear fruit many times over.
- Bath and daan after the mokshaWhen it ends, the family bathes, the house is cleaned and sprinkled with Ganga jal, fresh food is cooked, and daan is given, often grain or clothes.
- Nothing new is begunNo muhurat is taken from the sutak to the end of the grahan: no wedding, griha pravesh, purchase or journey begins then.
- Children, the elderly, the ill and the pregnantTradition relaxes the sutak fast for children, the elderly and the ill, who eat as they need. Pregnant women are asked to stay indoors, rest and keep away from knives and needles during the grahan, as families have long advised.
What North Indian households keep, as tradition. Never look at the Sun directly, even in part eclipse: use eclipse glasses or a pinhole.
The grahan across the Earth
IST
| Stage | Time (IST) |
|---|---|
| Penumbral stage begins | 7:33 PM |
| Sparsha: the dark shadow touches the Moon | 8:37 PM |
| Totality begins | 9:46 PM |
| Greatest eclipse | 10:22 PM |
| Totality ends | 10:57 PM |
| Moksha: the dark shadow leaves | 12:06 AM on 1 Jan |
| Penumbral stage ends | 1:10 AM on 1 Jan |
A lunar grahan happens at the same moment everywhere it is seen; what changes from city to city is whether the Moon is up.
Which rashi it falls in, from yours
In Mithun, Ardra nakshatra
Households whose Moon rashi is Mithun (Gemini), or whose birth nakshatra is Ardra, take the most care: tradition asks them not to look at the grahan and to spend it in japa.
| Moon rashi | The grahan falls in | That house |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh (Aries) | your 3rd | the house of effort |
| Vrishabh (Taurus) | your 2nd | the house of wealth and family |
| Mithun (Gemini) | your 1st | your own rashi the grahan’s rashi |
| Kark (Cancer) | your 12th | the house of expenses and faraway places |
| Singh (Leo) | your 11th | the house of gains |
| Kanya (Virgo) | your 10th | the house of career |
| Tula (Libra) | your 9th | the house of luck and dharma |
| Vrishchik (Scorpio) | your 8th | the house of sudden change |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | your 7th | the house of marriage and partnership |
| Makar (Capricorn) | your 6th | the house of work, health and rivals |
| Kumbh (Aquarius) | your 5th | the house of children, studies and romance |
| Meen (Pisces) | your 4th | the house of home and mother |
Why a grahan happens
A solar grahan comes on an Amavasya, when the Moon passes in front of the Sun; a lunar grahan on a Purnima, when the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon. It happens only when the new or full Moon is near Rahu or Ketu, the two points where the Moon’s path crosses the Sun’s: the Puranas tell it as Rahu, the asura who drank the amrit at the samudra manthan, swallowing the Sun or the Moon in revenge.
Every grahan, 2026 to 2028
Common questions
Is the 31 December 2028 Chandra grahan seen in India?
Yes, from all 40 Indian cities listed here, with sutak.
When does the sutak begin for the 31 December 2028 grahan?
In New Delhi from 11:37 AM, nine hours before the grahan begins there, to its end at 12:06 AM on 1 Jan. The table above gives each city’s.
Will it be seen in Mumbai?
Yes, from 8:37 PM to 12:06 AM on 1 Jan; sutak from 11:37 AM.
Which rashi and nakshatra is the 31 December 2028 grahan in?
Mithun rashi (Gemini) and Ardra nakshatra.
Is sutak kept for a grahan not seen in India?
No. A grahan that cannot be seen from a place carries no sutak there, and a penumbral chandra grahan carries none anywhere.
Today’s panchang, for your city
Sutak, Rahu Kaal and the day’s muhurats for where you are.
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