Chitra

Chitra Nakshatra is the 14 of the 27 lunar mansions used in Jyotisha and daily panchang. It spans Kanya 23°20' – Tula 6°40', is ruled by Mars (Mangala), and is presided over by Tvashtri (Vishvakarma). These three signals help explain its temperament, muhurta use, and the kind of actions traditionally supported by the day's Moon.

Its symbol, pearl / bright jewel, points to the nakshatra's working image. In practical panchang reading, the Moon's nakshatra is checked for travel, samskaras, learning, healing, temple visits, and whether a chosen task harmonizes with the day's lunar quality.

The presiding deity is Tvashtri (Vishvakarma), while the ruling planet is Mars (Mangala). Together they give the nakshatra its devotional and astrological tone: the deity shows the sacred archetype, and the planet shows how that energy tends to express in time, temperament, and dasha.

When the Moon transits Chitra, activities often favoured include beautification, architecture, art, creative ventures. This makes the nakshatra useful for quick panchang decisions, especially when the task matches the day's deity, symbol, and gana.

Activities usually avoided include dull / repetitive work. For weddings, upanayana, griha pravesh, and temple sankalpas, a pandit also checks tithi, vara, yoga, karana, tara bala, and local sunrise.

In Vedic astrology the Moon’s nakshatra at birth (the janma-nakṣatra) is the foundation of personal interpretation. Chitra as a janma-nakshatra suggests the temperament and life-themes summarised above; the four padas refine this further by indicating which rāśi-section (the navāṃśa) the Moon occupied at birth.

The nakshatra is also the basis for the Vimśottarī Mahādaśā — the 120-year planetary period system unique to Vedic astrology. The dasha you are born into is determined by which planet rules your janma-nakshatra. Chitra’s ruling planet is Mars (Mangala) — meaning births in this nakshatra typically begin their lives in the Mars mahādaśā.

The naming syllables (Pe, Po, Ra, Ri) are the traditional Sanskrit-Hindi syllables used to choose a name for a child born in this nakshatra, especially during the Nāmakaraṇa (naming-ceremony) sanskara. Many Hindu families still consult their kuldevta-pandit and the janma-nakshatra before settling on a name.

Chitra is a Rākṣasa-gaṇa nakshatra — the fierce class. Rākṣasa-gaṇa natives often carry intense, transformative energy. The classical guidance prefers Rākṣasa-with-Rākṣasa marriages; mixing across gaṇas requires careful chart analysis and often a śānti puja.