Grahan 2026: Eclipse Dates, Time in India & Sutak Kaal
ग्रहण 2026 — सूर्य ग्रहण और चंद्र ग्रहण की तारीख, समय और सूतक
Short answer: 2 eclipses are still to come in 2026 — the Surya Grahan on 12 August 2026 and the Chandra Grahan on 28 August 2026. Neither is visible from India, so no sutak kaal applies here for either.
Next: Surya Grahan — 12 August 2026
In 12 days- Type
- Total
- Peak (India time)
- 11:16 PM IST
- Sidereal position
- Kark (Cancer) 25°49′ · Ashlesha
- Visible in India?
- No
- Sutak kaal in India
- Does not apply
- Where visible
- Totality across Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain; partial across the Arctic, the North Atlantic and much of Europe
Roughly 9:45 PM IST on 12 Aug to 2:15 AM IST on 13 Aug — the whole event falls in the Indian night.
All 4 eclipses of 2026
| Date | Eclipse | Rashi / Nakshatra | Peak (IST) | Visible in India | Sutak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17 February 2026 Passed | 🌑 Surya Grahan Annular ("Ring of Fire") | Kumbh (Aquarius) 4°37′ · Dhanishta | 5:42 PM IST | No | None |
3 March 2026 Passed | 🌕 Chandra Grahan Total ("Blood Moon") | Singh (Leo) 18°38′ · Purva Phalguni | 5:03 PM IST | Yes — partly | Applies |
12 August 2026 In 12 days | 🌑 Surya Grahan Total | Kark (Cancer) 25°49′ · Ashlesha | 11:16 PM IST | No | None |
28 August 2026 In 28 days | 🌕 Chandra Grahan Partial (about 96% covered) | Kumbh (Aquarius) 10°37′ · Shatabhisha | 9:42 AM IST | No | None |
Sidereal positions computed with the Swiss Ephemeris (Lahiri ayanamsa) at each eclipse's greatest-eclipse instant. Timings are the global eclipse timings converted to IST — they are when the eclipse happens, not a claim that it can be seen from India.
Sutak kaal — when it applies and when it does not
The rule most pages skip
Sutak is tied to visibility from your location, not to the eclipse existing somewhere on Earth. If the Sun or Moon is below your horizon while the eclipse is happening, sutak does not apply where you are — temples stay open, food is cooked and eaten normally, and no restrictions are observed. This is why the same eclipse can carry sutak in London and none in Delhi.
When it does apply
- Surya Grahan: sutak begins 12 hours before the eclipse.
- Chandra Grahan: sutak begins 9 hours before.
- It ends when the eclipse ends; a bath afterwards traditionally closes it.
- Children, the elderly and the unwell are customarily exempt from the fasting part.
What each 2026 eclipse means astrologically
🌑 Surya Grahan — 17 February 2026
PassedKumbh (Aquarius) · DhanishtaAn annular eclipse in Kumbh, in Dhanishta, on the Rahu-Ketu axis — themes of status, networks, income structures and the systems a person belongs to. Because Kumbh is Saturn-ruled, its effects read as slow institutional change rather than sudden events.
Felt most by: Kumbh and Singh Moon signs. India: not visible. Not visible in India — no sutak kaal applied here.
🌕 Chandra Grahan — 3 March 2026
PassedSingh (Leo) · Purva PhalguniA total lunar eclipse with the Moon in Singh, in Purva Phalguni — ego, recognition, children and creative identity. Lunar eclipses show what has already been building emotionally; this one asked for endings around pride and public image.
Felt most by: Singh and Kumbh Moon signs. India: Partly visible at moonrise in the eastern states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh) — the only eclipse of 2026 visible from India at all. Sutak applied in India — lunar-eclipse sutak begins 9 hours before the eclipse.
🌑 Surya Grahan — 12 August 2026
In 12 daysKark (Cancer) · AshleshaThe most significant eclipse of 2026. A total solar eclipse at the very end of Kark, in Ashlesha — and close enough to Ketu in early Singh that this reads as a Ketu-touched eclipse. Kark is the Moon's own sign, so the themes are home, mother, emotional security, property and roots. Ashlesha adds the flavour of things hidden becoming visible: what a person has been quietly tolerating tends to surface. New Moon eclipses seed beginnings — but beginnings that arrive by clearing something first.
Felt most by: Kark and Makar Moon signs. India: not visible. Not visible in India — the Sun is below the horizon here, so sutak kaal does NOT apply in India. Temples stay open and normal routine continues.
🌕 Chandra Grahan — 28 August 2026
In 28 daysKumbh (Aquarius) · ShatabhishaA deep partial lunar eclipse with the Moon in Kumbh, in Shatabhisha, sitting with Rahu — a Rahu-grast Chandra Grahan. Shatabhisha is the healer's nakshatra, so the tone is diagnosis: seeing clearly what has been draining you. Falling sixteen days after the solar eclipse, it closes the chapter that eclipse opened.
Felt most by: Kumbh and Singh Moon signs. India: not visible. Not visible in India — the Moon is below the horizon during the eclipse, so no sutak kaal applies here.
What to do during a grahan
Do
- Chant your ishta mantra — eclipse periods are held to multiply japa.
- Meditate, or simply sit quietly rather than filling the hours.
- Give daan after the eclipse — grain, cloth, or to whoever is nearest in need.
- Bathe once the eclipse ends.
Avoid (where sutak applies)
- Starting anything that needs a muhurat — marriage, grihapravesh, a new business.
- Signing contracts or making irreversible financial decisions in the window.
- Looking at a solar eclipse without certified solar glasses — this one is not negotiable, and it is optics, not astrology.
Frequently asked
How many eclipses are there in 2026, and when?
2026 has 4 eclipses: Surya Grahan on 17 February 2026 (Annular); Chandra Grahan on 3 March 2026 (Total); Surya Grahan on 12 August 2026 (Total); Chandra Grahan on 28 August 2026 (Partial).
Which 2026 eclipses are visible in India?
Chandra Grahan — 3 March 2026 — Partly visible at moonrise in the eastern states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh) — the only eclipse of 2026 visible from India at all. The other eclipses of 2026 are not visible from India, because the Sun or Moon is below the horizon here at the time of the eclipse.
Does sutak kaal apply if the eclipse is not visible in India?
No. In Vedic practice sutak is tied to visibility from your location, not to the eclipse existing somewhere on Earth. If the eclipse cannot be seen from where you are, sutak does not apply — temples stay open, cooking and eating continue as normal, and no special restrictions are observed. Sutak begins 12 hours before a solar eclipse and 9 hours before a lunar eclipse, but only where the eclipse is actually visible.
When is the next grahan? (12 August 2026)
The next eclipse is the Surya Grahan (solar eclipse) on 12 August 2026 — a total eclipse peaking at 11:16 PM IST (17:46 UTC). Sidereally it falls in Kark (Cancer) at 25°49′, in Ashlesha nakshatra. It is not visible from India. Not visible in India — the Sun is below the horizon here, so sutak kaal does NOT apply in India. Temples stay open and normal routine continues.
Which rashi does an eclipse affect the most?
The Moon sign the eclipse falls in feels it most directly, followed by the opposite sign, because the eclipse axis always activates a pair of houses at once. But the honest answer is that the sign alone is a coarse filter — what decides the actual effect is which house of YOUR chart the eclipse degree lands in and which natal planet it sits on. An eclipse on a benefic planet reads very differently from one on a malefic, even for two people of the same rashi.
What should you do during an eclipse?
Where the eclipse is visible and sutak applies: avoid starting new ventures, signing contracts, marriages or grihapravesh during the eclipse window; use the time for mantra, meditation and daan (charity), which tradition holds to be greatly amplified; bathe after the eclipse ends. Never look at a solar eclipse without certified solar viewing glasses — that is eye safety, not astrology. Where the eclipse is not visible, none of the sutak restrictions apply.
Related
Where does the eclipse actually land in your chart?
Rashi is a coarse filter. The eclipse degree falls in one specific house of your kundli, often on a specific natal planet — and that is what decides whether it reads as an opening or a clearing.