Mangal Nakshatra Peyarchi — 2026

Mars Nakshatra Calendar 2026 — what this timeline shows

This is the complete Mars Nakshatra calendar for 2026 — every Mars Nakshatra visit for the year, ordered chronologically, with pada-level entry and exit times. The same calendar is known by several regional names:

• Mars Nakshatra Calendar 2026 — pan-Indian English name emphasising Nakshatra transitions.
• Mangal Nakshatra Peyarchi 2026 (செவ்வாய் நக்ஷத்ர பெயர்ச்சி) — Tamil / South Indian name; Peyarchi literally means “transit”.
• Mangal Nakshatra Gochar 2026 (मंगल नक्षत्र गोचर) — North Indian Hindi name; Gochar means “movement across the sky”.
• Mars Yearly Nakshatra Transit 2026 — English name used in Western Vedic astrology.

Unlike the Sun (which crosses exactly 27 Nakshatras per year without exception), Mars goes retrograde roughly once every 26 months for 60 to 80 days and can re-enter previous Nakshatras during that reverse motion. Most years contain 14–18 visits — fewer forward visits (~17–27 days each) plus any retrograde re-entries as separate cards.

What each card shows

• Nakshatra name + symbol — the Nakshatra Mars is currently transiting.
• Ruling planet + presiding deity — e.g. Mrigashira is ruled by Mars with Soma as its deity; Rohini is ruled by the Moon with Brahma as deity.
• Entry / exit times in your local timezone — the exact moments Mars crossed into and will leave this Nakshatra.
• Duration — typically 17–27 days when direct; retrograde re-entries can be shorter.
• Pada breakdown — each Nakshatra is divided into four ~3.3° padas. Each pada shows its own start and end times.
• ♂ Mars-owned badge — visible on Mrigashira, Chitra, and Dhanishtha.
• ↺ Retrograde badge — visible when the card represents a retrograde re-entry.
• ☼ Combust badge — visible when the visit overlaps with a Mars combustion window.

The three Mars-owned Nakshatras

In the classical Vimshottari Dasha order, three Nakshatras have Mars (Mangal) as their ruling planet — called “Mars-owned Nakshatras” here:

• Mrigashira (मृगशिरा) —
  • 23°20′ Taurus to 6°40′ Gemini.
  • Deity: Soma.
  • Symbolised by the deer's head and associated with searching, curiosity and the restless hunt; Mars in Mrigashira sharpens pursuit and competitive drive.
• Chitra (चित्रा) —
  • 23°20′ Virgo to 6°40′ Libra.
  • Deity: Tvashtar, the celestial architect.
  • Associated with craftsmanship, design and brilliant form; Mars in Chitra favours building, engineering and precise physical work.
• Dhanishtha (धनिष्ठा) —
  • 23°20′ Capricorn to 6°40′ Aquarius.
  • Deity: the eight Vasus.
  • Symbolised by the drum and associated with rhythm, wealth and group achievement; Mars in Dhanishtha favours disciplined effort and martial timing.

All three straddle a sign boundary, running from 23°20′ of one sign into the first 6°40′ of the next — so a single Mars visit to one of them crosses a Rashi change partway through. None of the three is a Gand Mool Nakshatra; those are the six ruled by Ketu and Mercury. When Mars transits one of these, classical Muhurta considers Mars-signified affairs (property, courage, competition, surgery, disciplined effort) strengthened. This calendar highlights these visits with a Mars-owned badge, a tinted card, and a dedicated filter chip.

Retrograde re-entries — why the same Nakshatra can appear twice

Mars goes retrograde roughly once every 26 months and can cross a Nakshatra boundary backwards, re-entering the previous Nakshatra for a second visit before turning direct and exiting for good. When this happens inside your year, the timeline returns two separate cards for the same Nakshatra — the initial forward visit and the retrograde re-entry — each with its own entry and exit time. The retrograde re-entry card carries a red Retrograde badge. This mirrors how Vedic almanacs table Peyarchi events.

Combust (Mangal Asta) badge — overlap detection

Mars is combust when within 17° of the Sun, in both directions — the classical Surya Siddhanta thresholds. Because Mars is an outer planet it can sit anywhere relative to the Sun, so combust windows occur roughly once every two years. Any Nakshatra visit whose window overlaps with a combust window gets a red Combust badge on the card. Classical Muhurta traditionally avoids combust days for property deals, surgery, and confrontation.

Mars Nakshatra vs. Mars Sign (Rashi) — different granularity

The Mars Sign (Rashi) calendar — called Mangal Rashi Peyarchi (also known as Mangal Peyarchi) — tracks Mars through the 12 signs at ~38–45 days each. This calendar tracks the finer 27-Nakshatra layer, where visits run ~17–27 days. Both use sidereal Lahiri Ayanamsha. Use the Sign calendar for wide dignity windows (exalted in Capricorn, debilitated in Cancer); use this Nakshatra calendar for muhurta selection and Nakshatra-based readings.

Common questions this page answers

Between the year navigator, the Mars-owned filter chip, and the info badges on each card, most Mars-Nakshatra timing questions are answered directly:

• When is Mars in Mrigashira in 2026? — click the Mars-owned filter, then look at the Mrigashira card(s).
• When is Mars in Chitra in 2026? — Mars-owned filter, second card.
• When is Mars in Dhanishtha in 2026? — Mars-owned filter, third card.
• When is Mars in Mrigashira / Chitra / Dhanishtha / Rohini in 2026? — scroll to the relevant Nakshatra card. Each shows entry, exit, duration, and any Rx/Combust badges.
• When is Mars retrograde in 2026? — look for any card carrying the red Retrograde badge. Retrograde re-entries are their own cards.
• When is Mars combust in 2026? — look for any card carrying the red Combust badge.
• Which Mars Nakshatra was I born under? — find your birth date on this timeline. For an exact sunrise-based reading, use the Date Lookup tool.

How the events are calculated

Every Nakshatra entry, pada boundary, retrograde station, and combust boundary in the 2026 timeline is computed via Swiss Ephemeris DE431 with Lahiri Ayanamsha, resolved to the exact ephemeris instant via binary search. Nakshatra boundaries fall at every 13°20′ of sidereal longitude; pada boundaries at every 3°20′. Retrograde stations are found by tracking when Mars's sidereal speed reverses sign; combust boundaries by tracking the Sun-Mars angular distance against the classical 17° threshold. No analytical formulas or approximations are used.

Related tools

Use the year arrows in the timeline header to page to 2025 or 2027 — or click the year itself to type any past or future year. This Nakshatra-level timeline captures every Mars-in-Nakshatra window; for other Mars queries or the sign-level view, use one of these companion tools:

• Live Tracker — Mars's current sidereal longitude, sign (Rashi), Nakshatra, Pada, sign lord, and current motion state (Direct / Retrograde / Combust). Auto-updates through the day.
• Date Lookup — Mars's complete readout at local sunrise for any past or future date. Useful for verifying natal Mars placement or checking historical dates.
• Find Mars Transit Dates — reverse lookup. Pick a Nakshatra or Rashi and get every Mars window (entry + exit) in the next 730 days, including retrograde re-entries as separate rows.
• Mangal Rashi Peyarchi (Sign Year Timeline) — also called Mangal Peyarchi. Every Mars sign visit for a chosen year as a card, with nested retrograde loops, combust windows, and peak-dignity moments.
• Manglik / Mangal Dosha Check — a different question from transit: Manglik status depends on where Mars sat in your birth chart, not where it is today. Use this if you want your natal Mangal Dosha verdict rather than Mars's current position.