Panchang in Diffa, Niger Sun 1 May 2011

Shiva’s worship centres on nishitha, the midnight muhurta. Chaturdashi runs from 03:41 on Sun 1 May to 05:54 on Mon 2 May, so only Sunday night’s nishitha (23:43–00:29 Mon) falls within it. No text giving Masik Shivratri’s time was found; nishitha is Tithika’s convention.

Masik Shivratri: every date in Diffa

The Moon gains on the Sun about 12° a day. Each 12° of lead is one tithi: 336°–348° is the 29th, Krishna Chaturdashi. A day takes the tithi in force at its sunrise, 05:48 here. Trayodashi ended at 03:41, before it. Chaturdashi ends at 05:54 Mon, when the lead reaches 348°. The lead passed 180° at the full moon of 18 Apr, so the Moon is waning: Krishna paksha.

A day takes the tithi in force at its sunrise. Chaturdashi began at 03:41, before sunrise at 05:48, and ends at 05:54 Mon, after the next sunrise at 05:48 Mon. Both days read Chaturdashi: it is a vriddhi tithi here.

A day takes the tithi in force at its sunrise.

New Delhi · IST

Sunrise here, 05:41, came before Trayodashi ended at 08:11: this day reads Trayodashi.

Diffa · UTC+1

Sunrise here, 05:48, came after Trayodashi ended at 03:41: this day reads Chaturdashi.

The night of Sat 30 Apr ran from sunset 18:24 Sat to sunrise 05:48, 11 h 24 m. Cut into 15 muhurtas of 45 m, its 14th is Brahma Muhurta, the one before the last.

Daylight here, 05:48 to 18:24, splits into 8 choghadiyas of 1 h 34 m. Their names follow a fixed order that starts from the weekday, and each name is counted good, neutral or bad.

The night here, 18:24 to 05:48 Mon, splits into 8 choghadiyas of 1 h 25 m. Their names follow a fixed order that starts from the weekday, and each name is counted good, neutral or bad.

The fixed stars divide the Moon's path into 27 nakshatras of 13°20′, each in 4 padas of 3°20′. Revati spans 346°40′–360°00′; the Moon entered its pada 3 at 353°20′. It leaves at 19:00, for Ashwini.

Add the Sun's and the Moon's places among the stars: 16.5° + 353.4° = 369.9°, one full turn and 9.9°. Past the turn, cut into 27 parts of 13°20′, it gives the yoga: 0°00′–13°20′ is the 1st, Vishkambha. It ends at 12:11, then Priti.

A karana is half a tithi: 6° of the Moon's lead, so the first half of Chaturdashi is Vishti and the second Shakuni. Vishti runs until 16:49, when the lead reaches 342°; Shakuni until 05:54 Mon.

A Hindu day runs from one sunrise to the next, not midnight to midnight. This one runs 05:48 to 05:48 Mon, so the hours after midnight still belong to Raviwara.

An amanta month runs from new moon to new moon and takes its name from the rashi the Sun is in at the new moon that begins it: Meena gives Chaitra. The Sun enters Mesha on 14 Apr, inside the month. The next new moon, 3 May, finds it in Mesha and begins Vaishakha.

A purnimanta month runs from full moon to full moon, so its waning half comes first. It shares its name with the amanta month that its second half falls in: the new moon of 3 May, with the Sun in Mesha, begins Vaishakha. Until then this Krishna paksha reads Vaishakha here, and Chaitra in the amanta count.

A samvat year begins with Chaitra, the month whose new moon finds the Sun in Meena: 3 Apr 2011, 15:32 Sun. Since then the Sun has moved 27° round the stars. Vikram Samvat numbers that year 2068; Shaka Samvat numbers it 1933.