Rashi 1 of 12
Meshaమేషం
Aries
The first thirty degrees of the sidereal zodiac — where the count begins.
- Ruling planet
- Mars
- Element
- Agni (fire)
- Modality
- Chara — movable
- Symbol
- The ram
- Sidereal span
- 0° – 30°
- Sun crosses it
- mid-April to mid-May
About Mesha
Mesha occupies 0° to 30° of sidereal longitude, and it is what the zodiac is measured from. That is not a small fact: every sidereal position in a panchangam is stated as a distance from the start of Mesha, so the whole apparatus of tithi, nakshatra and yoga rests on where this boundary is placed. The Lahiri ayanamsa fixes it by putting Spica at 180°, which sets 0° Mesha as a consequence. The rashi spans Ashwini and Bharani entire and the first quarter of Krittika, is ruled by Mars, and is classified movable and fiery.
Nakshatras in this rashi
Ashwini, Bharani, Krittika pada 1
Where it appears in the panchangam
The sun enters Mesha at Mesha Sankranti, around 14 April, which is the solar new year in Tamil Nadu (Puthandu), Kerala (Vishu), Punjab (Baisakhi), Bengal (Poila Boishakh) and Assam (Bohag Bihu) — all the same astronomical moment under different names. It is why those new years fall a fortnight after Ugadi, which is lunar.
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.