Panchang API: Data Fields, Pricing and Integration (2026)

A Panchang API returns the five daily elements of the Hindu calendar (tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana) for a date and location, plus sunrise, sunset and auspicious or inauspicious time windows, so an app can show a daily Panchang without maintaining its own calendar engine. Entry plans that include Panchang started at ₹1,000 a month and $19 a month when we checked provider pricing pages on 12 November 2026.

Key facts

The five limbs (pancha anga): tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana.
The Panchang day starts at local sunrise, so results depend on latitude, longitude and time zone.
Entry plans checked 12 Nov 2026: FreeAstrologyAPI ₹1,000 per month includes Complete Panchang; DivineAPI $19 per month includes core Panchang.
Choghadiya, festivals and monthly Panchang lists are often on higher tiers.
Because every user in one city sees the same Panchang on one day, caching by city and date cuts API calls dramatically.

What a Panchang API Returns

Field	Meaning	Where apps use it
Tithi	Lunar day, based on the angle between the Moon and the Sun	Festival dates, fasting reminders
Vara	Weekday, counted from sunrise	Daily Panchang header
Nakshatra	The lunar mansion the Moon occupies	Daily guidance and muhurta logic
Yoga	A combination of Sun and Moon longitudes	Auspiciousness label
Karana	Half of a tithi	Muhurta filtering
Sunrise, sunset, moonrise	Local solar and lunar times for the location	Day boundary and timing windows
Muhurta windows	Auspicious and inauspicious ranges such as Rahu Kaal and Choghadiya	Timing screens and reminders
Festivals and calendar	Festival dates, month names, samvat	Calendar view and notifications

Sample Panchang API Request and Response

Field names vary by provider. This example is illustrative and not copied from any vendor.

POST /v1/panchang
{
  "date": "2026-11-12",
  "latitude": 28.6139,
  "longitude": 77.2090,
  "timezone": "+05:30"
}

Response (trimmed)
{
  "sunrise": "06:41",
  "sunset": "17:29",
  "tithi": { "name": "...", "ends_at": "..." },
  "nakshatra": { "name": "...", "ends_at": "..." },
  "yoga": "...",
  "karana": "...",
  "rahu_kaal": { "start": "...", "end": "..." }
}

Panchang API Providers Compared (Checked 12 November 2026)

Provider	Entry price	Panchang coverage stated on the page	Free option
FreeAstrologyAPI	₹1,000 per month for 50,000 requests	Complete Panchang included from the Vedic Mercury plan	500 requests a day
DivineAPI	$19 per month for 100,000 requests	Sunrise, moonrise, tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana; auspicious timings from $79; festivals and Chaughadiya at $149	14-day trial
Prokerala	$19 per month for 100,000 credits	Daily Panchang, auspicious timings, Choghadiya and yogas listed	5,000 credits a month
RoxyAPI	$39 per month for 50,000 requests	Panchang and muhurta within the Vedic API	Not stated
AstrologyAPI.com	₹1,500 per month (Indian Astrology)	Panchang, muhurta, Kundli and matchmaking	150 credits on signup
VedicAstroAPI	₹1,499 per month for 30,000 calls	Vedic API suites; 100+ APIs on complete plans	Not stated
Swiss Ephemeris	Free (AGPL) or Professional License	Sun and Moon positions only; you build Panchang rules	Yes, under AGPL

Why Caching Matters: A Worked Example

Assume an app with 100,000 daily users spread across 500 cities, each opening the Panchang screen once a day. This is an illustration, not client data.

Without caching: 100,000 API calls a day

Cached by city and date: 500 API calls a day

That is a 99.5% reduction, which often moves an app from a mid tier to an entry plan. Store the response for each city and date, and expire it after the next sunrise.

How to Integrate a Panchang API

Detect the user's location: sunrise and the Panchang day depend on latitude, longitude and time zone.
Map the location to a city key: round coordinates or use the nearest city so cache hits are high.
Request once per city per day: call the API for that city and date only on a cache miss.
Handle the day boundary: the Panchang day starts at sunrise, so show the correct tithi before and after midnight.
Localise: show names in the user's language; several providers list multi-language support.
Send reminders: use tithi and festival data to schedule fasting and festival notifications.

Common Panchang API Problems and Fixes

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Tithi shown is a day off	Using midnight instead of sunrise as the day start	Use the sunrise time returned for that location
Different app shows another result	Different location or calculation settings	Use exact coordinates and one provider consistently
Bill grows with users	Per-user calls instead of per-city	Cache by city and date
Festival dates differ by region	Regional calendar traditions	Let users pick their tradition or region

Build or Buy a Panchang Engine

Situation	Better route
Daily Panchang screen in an MVP	Hosted API with city-level caching
Panchang, Kundli and matching in one India-first app	An INR plan that bundles all three
Very high volume or custom muhurta rules	Self-hosted engine on the Swiss Ephemeris, with license and engineering cost budgeted

The Swiss Ephemeris is dual-licensed: use it under the AGPL or buy the Professional License from Astrodienst, and decide before any public service goes live.

Takeaway: a Panchang API is cheap to run if you cache by city and date, so choose on coverage, languages and calculation quality first, and price second.

Appic Softwares has built 12 astrology apps since 2018. We connect Panchang, Kundli and matching APIs through our astrology API integration services. Read our Panchang app development guide, the Kundli API guide and our astrological APIs comparison, or talk to our astrology app development company team.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Panchang API?

A Panchang API is a web service that returns tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise, sunset and muhurta timings for a date and location as JSON.

How much does a Panchang API cost?

On 12 November 2026, plans including Panchang started at ₹1,000 per month (FreeAstrologyAPI) and $19 per month (DivineAPI and Prokerala). Prices change, so check each pricing page.

Is there a free Panchang API?

Free tiers exist with limits, such as FreeAstrologyAPI's 500 requests a day and Prokerala's 5,000 credits a month. Check whether Panchang is included in the free tier.

What are the five elements of Panchang?

Tithi (lunar day), vara (weekday), nakshatra (lunar mansion), yoga (Sun and Moon combination) and karana (half of a tithi).

Why does the Panchang depend on location?

Sunrise and sunset change with latitude and longitude, and the Panchang day starts at sunrise, so the same date can differ between cities.

Does a Panchang API include Rahu Kaal and Choghadiya?

Many do, but often on higher plans. DivineAPI, for example, lists auspicious and inauspicious timings from its $79 plan and Chaughadiya on its $149 plan.