Rashi 6 of 12
Kanyaకన్య
Virgo
A dual earth sign holding Hasta — the hand, and everything made with it.
- Ruling planet
- Mercury
- Element
- Prithvi (earth)
- Modality
- Dvisvabhava — dual
- Symbol
- A maiden in a boat, holding grain and fire
- Sidereal span
- 150° – 180°
- Sun crosses it
- mid-September to mid-October
About Kanya
Kanya runs 150° to 180° and ends exactly at Chitra's midpoint — which is the definition of the Lahiri ayanamsa, since that ayanamsa fixes Spica at 180°. The boundary between Kanya and Tula is therefore the reference point the entire sidereal system is anchored to. Ruled by Mercury and classified dual and earthy, it contains Hasta entire, the nakshatra of craft and dexterity.
Nakshatras in this rashi
Uttara Phalguni padas 2-4, Hasta, Chitra padas 1-2
Where it appears in the panchangam
Pitru Paksha, the fortnight of the ancestors, falls while the sun crosses Kanya, and Mahalaya Amavasya closes it. Sharad Navratri begins the day after. Kanya Sankranti is kept as Vishwakarma Puja in the eastern states.
Janma rashi
Your janma rashi is the rashi the moon occupied at the moment you were born — not the sun, which is what a western star sign uses. This is why the two frequently disagree, and why someone told they are a Leo in a newspaper may be a Karka by Indian reckoning. The janma rashi is what a family uses for naming, for annual rituals, and for matching in the traditional systems.