What these mean
- Tithi (तिथि): the lunar day. A lunar month has 30 tithis: 15 in the bright half (शुक्ल पक्ष) ending with Purnima, and 15 in the dark half (कृष्ण पक्ष) ending with Aunsi. The tithi shown for a date is the one at sunrise, as in Nepali patros.
- Nakshatra (नक्षत्र): which of the 27 star groups the moon is in.
- Yoga and karana: further divisions used for choosing auspicious times.
Values are calculated from the positions of the sun and moon for Kathmandu, so they match a printed patro to within a few minutes. A patro may differ on a day when the tithi changes near sunrise; for religious ceremonies, follow your priest or the official patro. Why festival dates move every year is explained in our guide to tithi.