The 12 houses (bhav) of a kundli and what each one stands for

How the houses are counted

A kundli is divided into twelve houses, called bhav or bhava. The first house is the Lagna, the rashi rising in the east at the moment of birth, and the other eleven follow in order. Because the Lagna changes about every two hours, two people born on the same day in the same city can have their planets in completely different houses.

In the North Indian chart the houses never move: the top centre diamond is always the 1st house and the count runs anticlockwise. The number written in a house is the rashi that falls there, not the house number. Make your chart in the free Janam Kundli and you will see each planet drawn inside its house, with a table listing the house of every planet.

What each house traditionally covers

Classical texts give each house a set of themes. These are the ones most astrologers start from:

• 1st house (Lagna, Tanu bhav): self, body, appearance, temperament and general direction of life
• 2nd house (Dhana bhav): wealth and savings, family, speech and food habits
• 3rd house (Sahaja bhav): younger siblings, courage, effort, short journeys and communication
• 4th house (Sukha bhav): mother, home, property, vehicles, inner peace and early education
• 5th house (Putra bhav): children, intelligence, higher learning, creativity and past merit (purva punya)
• 6th house (Ripu bhav): enemies, disputes, illness, debts and daily work or service
• 7th house (Kalatra bhav): spouse, marriage, business partners and public dealings
• 8th house (Ayu bhav): longevity, sudden events, inheritance, hidden matters and research
• 9th house (Dharma bhav): fortune, father, teachers, religion, long journeys and higher wisdom
• 10th house (Karma bhav): career, status, authority and actions in the world
• 11th house (Labha bhav): gains, income, elder siblings, friends and fulfilment of wishes
• 12th house (Vyaya bhav): expenses, losses, foreign lands, sleep and spiritual release (moksha)

Kendra, trikona and dusthana houses

Houses are also grouped, and these groups come up constantly in a reading:

• Kendra (angular) houses, 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th: the pillars of the chart; planets here are considered strong and visible in life
• Trikona (trinal) houses, 1st, 5th and 9th: houses of fortune and merit, traditionally the most auspicious
• Dusthana houses, 6th, 8th and 12th: houses of difficulty, loss and struggle
• Upachaya houses, 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th: houses where results are said to improve with time and effort

Houses, lords and planets work together

A house is never read alone. Each house has a lord, the planet that rules the rashi in it, and astrologers look at three things together: the planets sitting in the house, where its lord is placed, and the strength of the natural significator, or karaka, for that area. For career, for example, they read the 10th house, the 10th lord's position, and the Sun and Saturn.

This is the method the Kundli Phal section of the Janam Kundli follows for career, business, education, money and marriage. Your dasha periods are read the same way: the houses a period's planet occupies and rules shape the themes of that period, which the Vimshottari dasha guide explains.

Houses that matter in marriage matching

The 7th house is the house of marriage, and the Manglik check depends on houses too: Mars in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house from the Lagna makes a chart Manglik in the common method. The 36-point Guna Milan, however, is based on the Moon's sign and nakshatra, not on houses. You can see both in the kundli matching calculator.

A note on accuracy

House positions depend entirely on the Lagna, which depends on the exact birth time and place. A time that is off by 30 minutes can move the Lagna into the next rashi and shift every planet by one house. If you are unsure of your birth time, treat house-based readings with caution; your Rashi and nakshatra are usually still correct. Everything here describes traditional astrology, not a scientific prediction.