Where Chitra sits in the zodiac
Start the count at 23°20′ Virgo (173.33 degrees) and Chitra runs to 6°40′ Libra (186.67 degrees). It is shared between Virgo and Libra: the first 6°40′ lie in Virgo and the remaining 6°40′ in Libra.
The ayanamsa in use is Lahiri, near 24 degrees 13 minutes in 2026, which is the gap between Western and Vedic signs. The 27 parts are equal at 13 degrees 20 minutes each. The 27 divisions are slices of the ecliptic, not the outlines of constellations. Chitra is marked by Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, a blue-white star that lies close to the path of the Sun, Moon and planets. The Lahiri ayanamsa used on this site is also called Chitrapaksha because it is anchored to Spica. On the circle it follows Hasta and comes before Swati. The signs it touches are Virgo and Libra.
The name Chitra
Chitra means 'bright', 'varied' or 'a picture', and the same word is used today for a drawing or painting. It is the fourteenth nakshatra, split between Virgo and Libra.
Deity and symbol
Its deity is Tvashtar, also called Vishvakarma, the divine craftsman. In the Vedic hymns he forms the shapes of living things and makes the tools of the gods, including the thunderbolt.
The symbol is a bright jewel or a pearl, a finished object that has been shaped and polished. It matches the craftsman deity.
Ruling planet and the Vimshottari dasha
Mars rules Chitra. That planet's dasha is 7 years long, one share of the 120 that the nine lords divide between them.
The balance of Mars's dasha at birth depends on where in Chitra the Moon was. Early in the nakshatra most of the 7 years are left. Halfway, 3.5 are left. Near the end the next dasha begins almost at once. After Mars the order runs Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus, Sun and Moon. The other nakshatras ruled by Mars are Mrigashira and Dhanishta. The dasha calculator shows the balance for your own chart.
The four padas of Chitra
Each nakshatra splits into four padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes. A pada matches one sign of the navamsha (D9) chart, and the four take four signs in a row.
The first pada (23°20′ Virgo to 26°40′ Virgo) belongs to Leo in the navamsha chart. Its syllable is Pe.
The second pada (26°40′ Virgo to 30°00′ Virgo) belongs to Virgo in the navamsha chart. Its syllable is Po.
The third pada (0°00′ Libra to 3°20′ Libra) belongs to Libra in the navamsha chart. Its syllable is Ra.
The fourth pada (3°20′ Libra to 6°40′ Libra) belongs to Scorpio in the navamsha chart. Its syllable is Ri.
The first pada of Swati then starts at Sagittarius. Syllables follow the commonly printed lists, and regional lists differ slightly.
Chitra in the sky and in the year
The Sun is in Chitra from 11 October 2026 until 24 October 2026 in 2026, by Indian time. Muhurta texts file this star under Mridu (soft). The Moon crosses a nakshatra in about a day, between roughly 21 and 27 hours depending on how fast it is moving.
Chitra beside its neighbours
Because Chitra straddles two signs, its padas divide as padas 1 to 2 and padas 3 to 4 in Virgo and Libra. The Moon changes sign while it crosses the nakshatra. Years 43 to 50 of the 120-year cycle belong to Mars, the fifth lord in the order. Of the three nakshatras that Mars rules, Chitra comes second around the circle.
Hasta comes just before and is ruled by Moon. Swati comes just after and is ruled by Rahu. Hasta is Kshipra (swift) while Chitra is Mridu (soft); Swati is Chara (movable). Its neighbours carry other deities: Savitar, the Sun god at Hasta, Vayu, the wind god at Swati.
How to find out if your Moon is in Chitra
To check, find where the Moon stood at your birth. Anywhere from 23°20′ Virgo to 6°40′ Libra is Chitra. The Moon moves about half a degree an hour, so a birth within an hour or two of a boundary can land on either side if the time is slightly off. The nakshatra finder works it out from your date, time and place of birth.
Calculated with the Lahiri ayanamsa and whole sign houses; every setting is on the method page. Last checked 2026-10-04.