Vijay Muhurat: Daily Victory Window & How to Find It

Vijay Muhurat is one of the named windows of the Hindu day. Traditional timekeeping divides the daytime, from sunrise to sunset, into fifteen equal parts called muhurtas, and the eleventh of them is known as Vijaya, meaning 'victory'. It falls in the early afternoon, in the middle of the aparahna (the afternoon watch), and tradition treats it as a good time to begin work you want to succeed: a new venture, an important journey, signing or submitting a document, the first step of a plan.

Because it is a share of the daylight rather than a clock hour, there is no single time for the whole country. It opens and closes with your own city's sunrise and sunset, and it shifts a little every day as the days lengthen and shorten. It is also often confused with the Abhijit Muhurat, but the two are different muhurtas: Abhijit is the eighth, spanning local noon, and Vijaya is the eleventh, three muhurtas (two to three hours) later.

Vijay Muhurat at a glance

Meaning: Vijaya means victory
Which muhurta: The 11th of the day’s 15
When in the day: Early afternoon, mid-aparahna
Length: Day ÷ 15: about 41–56 minutes in Delhi
Depends on: Your city’s sunrise and sunset
Not the same as: Abhijit, the 8th muhurta, at local noon

Why is it often called '48 minutes'? On a day with exactly twelve hours between sunrise and sunset, one-fifteenth is 48 minutes, so that figure gets repeated. Most days are longer or shorter than that: in New Delhi a muhurta runs from about 41 minutes in late December to about 56 minutes in late June, and the Vijay Muhurat grows and shrinks with it.

The daytime in fifteen muhurtas

▲AbhijitLocal noon

▲Vijaya

← SunriseSunset →

Each cell is one-fifteenth of the time from sunrise to sunset, so the whole strip stretches in summer and shrinks in winter. Cells 10 to 12 make up the aparahna, the afternoon watch.

Worked example: Dussehra 2026, New Delhi

The method applied to a real day, step by step

Here is the calculation for Tuesday 20 October 2026, the day of Dussehra, in New Delhi. Sunrise and sunset are astronomically computed to the second.

1Sunrise and sunset6:25:03 AM · 5:46:30 PM
2Length of the day (sunset − sunrise)11 hours 21 minutes 27 seconds
3One muhurta (day ÷ 15)45 minutes 26 seconds
4Starts: sunrise + 10 muhurtas6:25:03 AM + 7 hours 34 minutes 20 seconds = 1:59 PM
5Ends: sunrise + 11 muhurtas6:25:03 AM + 8 hours 19 minutes 46 seconds = 2:45 PM

Vijay Muhurat

1:59 PM – 2:45 PM

New Delhi · Tuesday 20 October 2026 (Dussehra)

On the same day, New Delhi's Abhijit Muhurat is 11:43 AM to 12:28 PM, and in Mumbai, where the sun rises and sets later, the Vijay Muhurat is 2:19 to 3:06 PM. All results are rounded to the nearest minute.

Dussehra 2026: date, aparahna rule and puja

How to find your own Vijay Muhurat

Any city, any day: all you need is sunrise and sunset

You need only two times for your city and date: the local sunrise and the local sunset. Subtract sunrise from sunset to get the length of the day, and divide it by fifteen to get one muhurta. Then count from sunrise: the Vijay Muhurat begins once ten muhurtas have passed and ends once eleven have. Today's Panchang lists the sunrise and sunset for your city, so take the two times from there and repeat the steps above. Expect the answer to move. Cities further west generally see the sun rise and set later by the clock, so their window opens later on the same day, and every city's window drifts through the year with the seasons.

When and why it is used

Important beginnings, and how it differs from Abhijit

The Vijay Muhurat is chosen for beginnings that matter: signing or submitting a document, setting out on a journey, launching a business, taking the first concrete step of a long plan. It is especially useful when the midday Abhijit Muhurat has already passed or been missed, because it still offers a favourable start in the second half of the day. Keep the two apart: Abhijit is the eighth of the fifteen muhurtas and spans local noon, while Vijaya is the eleventh and falls in the early afternoon. One caution: on Thursdays, Rahu Kaal is the sixth of the day's eight parts, and the Vijay Muhurat falls entirely inside it every Thursday, so if your family avoids Rahu Kaal for new work, check both. The same word appears in Vijayadashami, the festival of Dussehra: tradition holds that Rama set out against Ravana in this victory muhurta, and on that day it is regarded as the most auspicious time of the afternoon.

Live Panchang

Get today's sunrise and sunset for your city

They are the only two times you need. Take them from Today's Panchang and follow the steps above, or open the Abhijit Muhurat page for the midday window.

Today's Panchang Today's Abhijit Muhurat

Vijay Muhurat: your questions

Meaning, timing and the Abhijit difference

What is the Vijay Muhurat?+

It is the eleventh of the fifteen equal muhurtas into which the daytime, from sunrise to sunset, is divided. Vijaya means victory, and tradition holds this window favourable for beginning work you want to succeed. It falls in the early afternoon, in the middle of the aparahna (the afternoon watch), and lasts one-fifteenth of the daylight: about 48 minutes when day and night are equal, longer in summer and shorter in winter.

What time is the Vijay Muhurat today?+

There is no single time for all of India, because the window is a share of the daylight rather than a fixed clock hour. It starts ten muhurtas after your local sunrise and ends one muhurta later, so it changes from city to city and from day to day. Take today’s sunrise and sunset for your city from the panchang and apply the method in this guide. For reference, on 20 October 2026 it is 1:59 to 2:45 PM in New Delhi and 2:19 to 3:06 PM in Mumbai.

How do I calculate the Vijay Muhurat myself?+

Subtract sunrise from sunset to get the length of the day, then divide by fifteen to get one muhurta. The Vijay Muhurat starts at sunrise plus ten muhurtas and ends at sunrise plus eleven. For example, in New Delhi on 20 October 2026 the day is 11 hours 21 minutes 27 seconds long, one muhurta is 45 minutes 26 seconds, and the window runs from 1:59 to 2:45 PM.

How is the Vijay Muhurat different from the Abhijit Muhurat?+

Both are muhurtas of the same fifteen-part day, but they fall at different times. Abhijit is the eighth and spans local noon; Vijaya is the eleventh, three muhurtas later, in the early afternoon. In New Delhi on 20 October 2026, Abhijit runs from 11:43 AM to 12:28 PM and Vijaya from 1:59 to 2:45 PM. Many people use the Vijay Muhurat when the Abhijit window has already passed.

What is the Vijay Muhurat used for?+

Tradition chooses it for important beginnings: starting a business or a new job, setting out on an important journey, signing or submitting documents, or taking the first step of a long plan. Its link with victory is why it is preferred where success is the goal. On Thursdays it falls entirely inside Rahu Kaal, so families who avoid Rahu Kaal for new work should check both.

Why is Vijayadashami linked to the Vijay Muhurat?+

Vijayadashami, better known as Dussehra, means “the tenth day of victory”. Tradition holds that Rama set out against Ravana in the Vijay Muhurat, and on Dussehra this window is regarded as the most auspicious time of the afternoon. The festival’s date and rituals are covered in our Dussehra guide.

Abhijit Muhurat →Rahu Kaal Today →Dussehra (Vijayadashami) 2026 →Today’s Panchang →

Source & Disclaimer: The worked example is astronomically computed from the sunrise and sunset of New Delhi and Mumbai on 20 October 2026, in Indian Standard Time, with results rounded to the nearest minute; other panchangs may differ by a minute. Because the Vijay Muhurat is a fixed share of the daylight, it changes with your city and the season, so work out your own window before relying on it. Muhurat is a matter of tradition and belief: treat it as guidance, not a guarantee of any outcome.