Nakshatra 14 of 27 · Lahiri sidereal
Chitra Nakshatra
Chitra is nakshatra 14 of the 27, spanning 23°20′ Kanya to 6°40′ Tula of the sidereal zodiac. Its ruler is Mangal, its deity Vishvakarma, the divine architect, its symbol a bright jewel, and its yoni animal the Tiger.
At a glance
- Span (sidereal)
- 23°20′ Kanya to 6°40′ Tula
- Ruling planet
- Mangal · Vimshottari dasha of 7 years
- Deity
- Vishvakarma, the divine architect
- Symbol
- A bright jewel
- Gana
- Rakshasa
- Yoni (animal)
- Tiger (natural enemy: Cow)
- Nadi
- Madhya
What Chitra is like
Chitra, ‘the brilliant’, is the star of the bright jewel and the skilled maker. Tvashtar, also called Vishvakarma, the divine architect, presides over it and Mangal (Mars) rules it, so craft, design and drive come together. It spans the end of Kanya and the start of Tula, and its bright star is Spica.
Born with the Moon in Chitra
With the Moon here you notice form, colour and how things are put together, and you want what you make to shine. Design, architecture, fashion, engineering and performance can all draw you. Valuing the work in progress, and not only the finished, perfect version, keeps you at ease.
In short: A born designer — you see beauty and structure and love to make things shine. A useful growth area: valuing the work in progress, not only the finished, perfect piece.
Mangal rules Chitra, so a Moon here means birth in the Mangal mahadasha, 7 years in all. How much of it remains depends on how far the Moon had travelled through the star. The Vimshottari sequence then moves on to Rahu.
Deity and symbol
Vishvakarma in Vedic tradition is the architect of the gods, who fashions their weapons, chariots and palaces. The jewel is the finished work seen in full light.
The symbol of Chitra is a bright jewel, and its deity is Vishvakarma, the divine architect.
Padas and navamsa signs
Each nakshatra has four padas of 3°20′, one ninth of a sign each. The pada your Moon was in gives its navamsa (D9) sign. The four padas of Chitra are:
| Pada | Degrees | Moon sign | Navamsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23°20′ – 26°40′ | Kanya | Simha |
| 2 | 26°40′ – 30°00′ | Kanya | Kanya |
| 3 | 0°00′ – 3°20′ | Tula | Tula |
| 4 | 3°20′ – 6°40′ | Tula | Vrishchika |
So the first pada of Chitra falls in Simha navamsa and the last in Vrishchika.
Chitra in Kundali Milan
As a partner Chitra is attractive, energetic and exacting, and suits someone who admires its effort and enjoys making a home beautiful.
In Ashtakoot matching, Chitra brings a Tiger yoni, Rakshasa gana and Madhya nadi. Yoni Koota (4 points) is full when both partners share an animal and 0 when their animals are natural enemies; the Tiger’s natural enemy is the Cow. Nadi Koota (8 points) scores 0 when both share a nadi. These are parts of one comparison, never a verdict on a couple.
Questions people ask
Which rashi does Chitra nakshatra fall in?
Chitra spans two signs: 23°20′ Kanya to 6°40′ Tula. Which Moon sign you have depends on the pada your Moon was in at birth: padas 1–2 are in Kanya, and padas 3–4 in Tula.
Who rules Chitra, and which dasha does it start?
Mangal rules Chitra. A person born with the Moon in Chitra starts the Vimshottari sequence in the Mangal mahadasha (7 years in all), counted from the balance left at birth, and then moves on to Rahu.
What is the yoni of Chitra, and what does it mean in Kundali Milan?
The yoni of Chitra is the Tiger, shared with Vishakha. Yoni Koota scores 4 of 4 when both partners’ animals match and 0 when they are natural enemies (Tiger and Cow); other pairs score between 1 and 3. In the classical texts yoni speaks of instinct and physical ease between two people; it is one of eight kootas.
Is Chitra a good or a bad nakshatra?
Neither. The classical texts do not rank nakshatras as good or bad for a person; each has its own character, strengths and growth areas. For Chitra the texts speak of a born designer — you see beauty and structure and love to make things shine. The growth area: valuing the work in progress, not only the finished, perfect piece.
How do I find my nakshatra?
Your birth nakshatra is the one the Moon was in when you were born, so it needs your date, time and place of birth. The free kundali on JYOTISH.info shows it with the pada, using the Lahiri ayanamsa. The Moon changes nakshatra about once a day, so without a birth time the nakshatra can be uncertain, and the app marks it as approximate.
What are the symbol and deity of Chitra?
The symbol is a bright jewel, and the deity is Vishvakarma, the divine architect. The classical texts link the qualities of the deity to the character of the star.
Every position on this page is calculated sidereal with the Lahiri ayanamsa from the astronomy-engine library (MIT licence). The classical texts describe tendencies; this page is for guidance and reflection, not a verdict, and no outcome is promised. How we calculate. This is the English page and the legal reference. The same page is available in Hindi. Checked October 2026.