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By Astrologer Praveen Kumar · 21 August 2026 · Updated 3 October 2026
The Mithila Panchang is the Hindu almanac followed across the Maithili-speaking region of north Bihar — Darbhanga, Madhubani, Samastipur, Sitamarhi, Saharsa, Supaul and neighbouring districts — and by Maithil families wherever they live. It fixes the days of vrats and festivals, marriage seasons, sanskars and daily muhurat according to the region's own dharmashastra tradition. The best-known edition is the Vishwavidyalaya Panchang published by Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University. This guide explains how it works, why its dates sometimes differ from the Banaras panchang, and the Maithil customs it governs.
Short answer: The Mithila Panchang is the regional panchang of north Bihar, most widely represented by the Darbhanga Vishwavidyalaya Panchang. It uses the same five limbs — tithi, vaar, nakshatra, yoga and karana — as any Vedic panchang, but applies Mithila's own rules for deciding vrat days, which is why a festival can fall a day apart from Banaras in some years.
| Topic | Mithila practice |
|---|---|
| Main published panchang | Vishwavidyalaya Panchang, Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University |
| Month system | Purnimant (month ends on full moon), as in most of north India |
| Five limbs (panchang) | Tithi, Vaar, Nakshatra, Yoga, Karana |
| Vrat-day rules | Based on Mithila's dharmashastra digests (nibandha) tradition |
| Region of use | Darbhanga, Madhubani, Samastipur, Sitamarhi, Saharsa, Supaul, parts of Muzaffarpur and Begusarai, Nepal's Mithila |
| Distinct festivals | Madhushravani, Kojagara, Sama-Chakeva, Chaurchan, Jur Sital |
| Marriage checks | Kundali matching plus panji verification by panjikar |
Mithila, the ancient land of King Janaka and Sita, has been a seat of Sanskrit learning for centuries. The region is especially famous for Nyaya (logic), Mimamsa and Dharmashastra. Maithil scholars wrote influential nibandhas — digests that explain how vrats, shraddha, purification and sanskars should be performed. Writers such as Chandeshwar Thakur, a minister in the court of the Karnata king Harisimhadeva, and Vachaspati Mishra (the later smriti author of that name) are remembered in this tradition.
This matters for astrology because a panchang is not only an astronomical table. It also has to decide, using shastric rules, on which day a given vrat or festival should be observed when a tithi overlaps two days. Mithila's pandits apply rules from this regional tradition, and that gives the Mithila Panchang its distinct character.
Jyotish has always been part of daily life in Mithila — from fixing the lagan (marriage season) and dviragaman (the bride's formal departure to her in-laws) to naming children and choosing days for travel.
Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University in Darbhanga publishes an annual panchang prepared by its scholars of Jyotish. It is commonly called the Vishwavidyalaya Panchang (University Panchang) and is one of the most trusted references for Maithil households, temples and pandits.
A typical Mithila panchang gives:
For the general idea of how to read the five limbs in any panchang, see our daily muhurat guide to Choghadiya and Rahu Kaal.
Families in Patna and Mithila often notice that a fast like Jitiya or a festival appears on different dates in the Mithila Panchang and in a Banaras panchang. There are three main reasons.
Each vrat has a rule about the tithi it needs: present at sunrise (udaya vyapini), present at midday, present at pradosh (evening), or a combination with the neighbouring tithi. Mithila's nibandha tradition sometimes reads these rules differently from Banaras authorities. When a tithi starts or ends near sunrise, the two panchangs may legitimately choose different days. Jitiya (Jivitputrika) vrat is the most familiar example in Bihar.
Some panchangs follow traditional siddhantic calculation methods, others follow modern observational (drik) calculation. The tithi end-times they give can differ by some minutes, which again matters only when a tithi boundary falls near a deciding moment.
Panchangs are computed for a reference place. Sunrise in Darbhanga is a little earlier than in Varanasi, so a tithi that just touches sunrise in one place may miss it in the other.
Practical rule: Follow the panchang your family and kul purohit traditionally follow. Maithil families usually keep vrats by the Mithila Panchang even when living in Patna or outside Bihar. If you are unsure, ask your astrologer to check both for that particular year.
Madhushravani (मधुश्रावणी) is observed in the month of Shravan by newly married Maithil women, usually in the first Shravan after marriage. For about two weeks the bride performs daily puja of Gauri and the Nag devta, listens to traditional kathas told by elder women, and wears clothes and ornaments sent by her in-laws. The panchang fixes the start and end days, which fall in Shravan Krishna and Shukla paksha.
Kojagara (कोजगरा) is celebrated on Ashvin Purnima (Sharad Purnima). In Mithila it is a special celebration for a newly married groom: the bride's family sends gifts, and makhana (fox nut), paan and sweets are distributed. Lakshmi is worshipped at night. The name is linked to the question ko jagarti — "who is awake?" — as Lakshmi is believed to bless those who stay awake in worship on this night.
Sama-Chakeva (सामा-चकेवा) is a festival of brothers and sisters celebrated in the month of Kartik, after Chhath, and concluding on Kartik Purnima. Girls and women make clay figures of Sama, Chakeva, birds and the tale-bearer Chugla, sing traditional songs every evening, and on the final day immerse the figures and wish long life for their brothers. Chugla's effigy is ceremonially burned as a symbol of ending gossip and slander. It follows closely after Chhath Puja, so the panchang dates for both are read together.
Mithila has a unique tradition of panji (पंजी) — written genealogical records maintained by hereditary genealogists called panjikars for Maithil Brahmin and Karna Kayastha families. The system is traditionally traced to the time of King Harisimhadeva of the Karnata dynasty in the 14th century.
Before a marriage, the panjikar examines the lineages of both families on the paternal and maternal sides to confirm that the bride and groom are not related within the degrees prohibited by custom. Only then is a written clearance given, often called siddhant. This is a check of lineage, done alongside — not instead of — astrological compatibility.
Sauragath or Saurath Sabha is held at Saurath village in Madhubani district. Historically, guardians of prospective brides and grooms, along with panjikars, gathered here during the marriage season to propose and settle alliances, with the panjikars verifying lineage on the spot. Attendance has reduced in modern times as families use other ways to find matches, but the sabha remains a symbol of Maithil marriage tradition.
After panji clearance, the horoscopes are matched. Maithil pandits use the standard Ashtakoot (eight-fold) Guna Milan and check Mangal Dosha and Nadi Dosha, then fix the lagan from the panchang. Read more in our guides to Guna Milan and Ashtakoot matching and Vivah Panchami at Sitamarhi, the festival of Ram-Sita's wedding so closely tied to Mithila.
Astrologer Praveen Kumar regularly helps families from Sitamarhi, Darbhanga and Madhubani with Mithila-tradition questions — which day to keep a vrat, choosing a lagan, or matching horoscopes after panji clearance. Please bring:
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Most families in Mithila follow the Vishwavidyalaya Panchang published every year by Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, along with other Maithil panchangs prepared by local pandits. It is widely used in Darbhanga, Madhubani, Samastipur, Sitamarhi and nearby districts to fix vrat, festival, marriage and sanskar dates according to Maithil tradition.
Panchangs can differ in calculation method and in the dharmashastra rule used to decide which tithi a vrat should be kept on, for example whether the tithi must be present at sunrise or at a particular part of the day. When a tithi begins or ends close to these points, the Mithila and Banaras panchangs may assign the vrat to different days.
Panji are genealogical records kept by traditional genealogists called panjikars for Maithil Brahmin and Karna Kayastha families. Before a marriage, the panjikar checks both family lines to make sure the bride and groom are not related within the prohibited degrees and gives a written clearance. It is checked alongside kundali matching, not instead of it.
Sauragath, also called Saurath sabha, is a traditional gathering held at Saurath village in Madhubani district where Maithil families, panjikars and guardians met to discuss and settle marriage alliances. It was historically one of the best known marriage sabhas of Mithila. Its scale has reduced in modern times, but it remains an important part of Maithil cultural memory.
Yes. Many Maithil families in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai or abroad still follow the Mithila Panchang for vrat and festival days to keep family custom. For daily muhurat such as sunrise-based timings, local sunrise of your present city should be used, so an astrologer adjusts the timing for where you live.
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