1) Houses

Understanding a Chart

Each house spans 30 degrees and the whole chart takes 360 degrees.( i.e 12 house x 30 degrees).

•There are 12 Houses in zodiac or Chart

•Above is a North Indian Chart on the left

•These are natural Houses

•The Houses are in Anticlockwise direction from 1 to 12

•The House on Top Shown as 1 is also the Lagna or Ascendent - starting point.

•Lagna is the point rising on the Eastern Horizon at time of birth

•Now memorise the name of the houses given in the Diagram from 1 to 12

•While the house 1 to 12  remain the same  it is the sign which changes.So Aries will move from from 1 st house to 2nd house and so on..The sign in each house will change every 2 hours. So 2 hrs x 12 sign = 24 hours or 1 day.

On the Right is a South Indian Chart

•This chart is different form the North Indian Chart.

•Here the  House changes as per Lagna and Signs are Fixed.  Only the Lagna shifts.

•This horoscope is read in Clockwise direction
•Remember the name given in each Square in the Diagram
•One must know both the North Indian and South Indian Chart.

•Both Have its advantages and disadvantages.

Name of Sign of the 12 Houses and Their Sanskrit Names

No	Name of Sign	Sanskrit Name
1	Aries	Mesha
2	Taurus	Vrishaba
3	Gemini	Mithuna
4	Cancer	Karkata
5	Leo	Simha
6	Virgo	Kanya
7	Libra	Thula
8	Scorpio	Vrishchika
9	Sagittarius	Dhanus
10	Capricorn	Makara
11	Aquarius	Kumbha
12	Pisces	Meena

The twelve signs, their lords, Element,Sex, 

their characteristics, Form and Occupation are given below: 

Name of Sign	Sanskrit Name	Lord	Nature of Element	Sex	Characteristics  / Motion / Swabhava
Aries	Mesha	Mars	Fire	M	Movable
Taurus	Vrishaba	Venus	Earth	F	Fixed
Gemini	Mithuna	Mercury	Air	M	Common
Cancer	Karkata	Moon	Water	F	Movable
Leo	Simha	Sun	Fire	M	Fixed
Virgo	Kanya	Mercury	Earth	F	Common
Libra	Thula	Venus	Air	M	Movable
Scorpio	Vrishchika	Mars	Water	F	Fixed
Sagittarius	Dhanus	Jupiter	Fire	M	Common
Capricorn	Makara	Saturn	Earth	F	Movable
Aquarius	Kumbha	Saturn	Air	M	Fixed
Pisces	Meena	Jupiter	Water	F	Common

Name of Sign	Sanskrit Name	Form of Sign	Occupations
Aries	Mesha	Quadrupeds  (4 legged)	Kshtriyas / Warriors
Taurus	Vrishaba	Quadrupeds  (4 legged)	Shudra / Scavengers
Gemini	Mithuna	Human	Vaisyas / Traders
Cancer	Karkata	Keeta Rasi (Reptiles)	Brahmins / Priest
Leo	Simha	Quadrupeds  (4 legged)	Kshtriyas / Warriors
Virgo	Kanya	Human	Shudra / Scavengers
Libra	Thula	Human	Vaisyas / Traders
Scorpio	Vrishchika	Keeta Rasi (Reptiles)	Brahmins / Priest
Sagittarius	Dhanus	Human – First part. Quadrupeds  (4 legged) – Second part	Kshtriyas / Warriors
Capricorn	Makara	Quadrupeds  (4 legged)	Shudra / Scavengers
Aquarius	Kumbha	Human	Vaisyas / Traders
Pisces	Meena	Keeta Rasi (Reptiles)	Brahmins / Priest