Rashi 5 of 12
Simhaసింహం
Leo
The Sun's own sign, opening with Magha — the throne of the ancestors.
- Ruling planet
- Sun
- Element
- Agni (fire)
- Modality
- Sthira — fixed
- Symbol
- The lion
- Sidereal span
- 120° – 150°
- Sun crosses it
- mid-August to mid-September
About Simha
Simha runs 120° to 150° and is the Sun's own rashi, the only one he owns. It opens with Magha, whose symbol is the royal throne and whose deities are the Pitris, and continues into Purva Phalguni, the most frankly pleasurable nakshatra in the zodiac. Regulus, the bright star at the lion's heart, marks Magha's beginning. It is classified fixed and fiery.
Nakshatras in this rashi
Magha, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni pada 1
Where it appears in the panchangam
The sun crosses Simha through the densest festival weeks of the year: Varalakshmi Vratam, Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami and Vinayaka Chaviti all fall while he is here. Simha Sankranti is kept in its own right in Kerala, as Onam approaches.
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.