Jagannatha Hora Settings Guide: Ayanamsa, Chart Style & More

So you have installed Jagannatha Hora on your computer. Now what? The software opens with dozens of options and settings that can feel overwhelming, especially if you are new to Vedic astrology software. The most common question I get from readers after following my installation guides is simple: how do I set this up correctly?

This guide walks you through every essential setting in JHora, from the controversial Ayanamsa debate to chart display preferences. By the end, you will have a properly configured installation that matches your astrological practice and regional traditions.

If you have not installed JHora yet, start with our installation guides for Windows, Mac, or Linux. Mobile users can check our guide on JHora Android and iOS app alternatives.

What This Guide Covers

Before diving into specifics, here is what we will configure together. Jagannatha Hora stores all your preferences in a file called jhora.ini, located in the jhcore subdirectory of your installation folder. Once you set everything up, the software remembers your choices across sessions.

The critical settings fall into four categories: Ayanamsa selection (which determines all your planetary calculations), chart display styles (North Indian, South Indian, or East Indian formats), language preferences (English, Hindi, Telugu, Sanskrit, and more), and calculation options that affect everything from divisional charts to dasha timings.

Understanding and Setting Your Ayanamsa

The Ayanamsa setting is the single most important configuration choice you will make in Jagannatha Hora. It directly affects every planetary position, every divisional chart, every dasha calculation, and ultimately every prediction you derive from a horoscope.

If you have ever compared your birth chart between two different astrology software programs and noticed planets in different signs, the Ayanamsa was almost certainly the reason.

What Exactly is Ayanamsa?

Ayanamsa (from the Sanskrit words ‘ayana’ meaning movement and ‘amsa’ meaning portion) accounts for the precession of the equinoxes. The Earth wobbles slightly on its axis over a cycle of roughly 26,000 years. This means the position of the vernal equinox slowly shifts against the backdrop of fixed stars.

Western tropical astrology ignores this wobble and defines the zodiac based on the seasons. The first degree of Aries always begins at the spring equinox. Vedic sidereal astrology, by contrast, aligns the zodiac with actual star positions in the sky.

The Ayanamsa value represents how many degrees the tropical and sidereal zodiacs have drifted apart. As of 2024, most Ayanamsa systems place this value somewhere between 23 and 25 degrees. But here is where things get complicated: different scholars have calculated this drift differently, leading to multiple Ayanamsa systems that can shift your planets by a degree or more.

Lahiri vs Pushya Paksha: The Great Debate

Open the Ayanamsa dropdown in JHora and you will find over 30 options. But for most practitioners, the real choice comes down to two contenders: Lahiri (also called Chitrapaksha) and Pushya Paksha.

Lahiri Ayanamsa: This is the official government standard in India, established by the Lahiri Commission formed after independence. Nirmal Chandra Lahiri designed it to fix the star Spica (Chitra in Sanskrit) exactly at 0 degrees Libra. The vast majority of practicing astrologers in India use Lahiri, and it remains the default for most mainstream astrology software. If you are learning from books published in India or studying with an Indian astrologer, they almost certainly use Lahiri.

Pushya Paksha Ayanamsa: Developed and recommended by P.V.R. Narasimha Rao himself (the creator of Jagannatha Hora), this system anchors the zodiac to the star Delta Cancri in the Pushya nakshatra. The reasoning comes from ancient texts like Surya Siddhanta, which gives Pushya special importance as a reference point. Narasimha Rao argues this produces more accurate results, particularly in divisional charts and dasha predictions.

The difference between these two systems is roughly 1 degree 7 minutes. That might sound small, but it can push a planet into a different sign near the cusp, change your navamsa chart entirely, or shift dasha timings by weeks.

How to Change Ayanamsa in Jagannatha Hora

Follow these steps to set your preferred Ayanamsa:

1. Open Jagannatha Hora and go to the top menu bar
2. Click on “Preferences” in the menu
3. Select “Related to calculations and methodology”
4. Look for the “Ayanamsa” dropdown near the top of the window
5. Select your preferred option (True Lahiri/Chitrapaksha for mainstream compatibility, or Pushya Paksha for the software author’s recommendation)
6. Click OK to save your changes

Your charts will immediately recalculate with the new Ayanamsa value.

Which Ayanamsa Should You Actually Use?

This question has no universal answer, and I want to be honest with you about that. Experienced astrologers have made accurate predictions using both systems. Here is my practical advice:

Choose Lahiri if: You are learning from traditional Indian resources, working with an astrologer who uses Lahiri, need your charts to match government ephemeris or panchang, or want maximum compatibility when discussing charts with other astrologers.

Choose Pushya Paksha if: You follow P.V.R. Narasimha Rao’s teachings and methods, are focused heavily on divisional chart analysis, want to align with the theoretical foundations in Surya Siddhanta, or have tested both systems against known events and found Pushya Paksha more accurate for your charts.

My recommendation for beginners: Start with Lahiri. It provides the widest compatibility with learning resources, other practitioners, and software. Once you have gained experience (at least 2 to 3 years of serious study), you can experiment with Pushya Paksha and compare results against known life events.

Other Ayanamsa Options Worth Knowing

JHora includes several other Ayanamsa systems you might encounter:

• Krishnamurthy (KP): Used exclusively in Krishnamurthy Paddhati astrology. If you practice KP, you must use this setting.
• Raman: Created by Dr. B.V. Raman, one of the most influential astrologers of the 20th century. Close to Pushya Paksha in values.
• Fagan/Bradley: The standard for Western sidereal astrology. Irrelevant for Vedic practice.
• True Chitrapaksha: A refined version of Lahiri that accounts for the actual movement of the star Spica over time.

Configuring Your Chart Display Style

Vedic astrology uses three regional chart formats. All three display identical astrological information; they simply arrange it differently on the screen. The format you choose usually depends on which tradition you learned or which region of India your teacher comes from.

North Indian Diamond Style

This format uses a diamond shape with the Ascendant (Lagna) always fixed at the top center. Signs rotate around this fixed house structure. If you have Taurus rising, Taurus sits at the top; if you have Scorpio rising, Scorpio takes that position instead.

The advantage of North Indian style is that houses remain in consistent positions, making it easy to quickly identify which planets occupy which houses. The drawback is that sign positions change from chart to chart, requiring you to mentally track which sign is where.

This style dominates in Northern India, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, and surrounding states.

South Indian Square Style

This format uses a rectangular grid where signs always occupy the same box positions. Pisces always sits at the top left, Aries in the second box from left on the top row, and so on in a fixed clockwise pattern. The Ascendant is marked with a diagonal line in whichever box contains the rising sign.

The advantage here is visual consistency across charts. Once you memorize where each sign sits, you can immediately see planetary positions without checking sign labels. The drawback is that house numbers become relative; you must count from the marked Ascendant box.

This style predominates in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

East Indian Style

Less commonly used outside Bengal and Odisha, this format also uses fixed sign positions but arranges them differently than the South Indian style. If you learned astrology in Eastern India, this might be your natural preference.

How to Change Chart Style in JHora

1. Go to Preferences in the top menu
2. Select “Related to display”
3. Find the “Chart style” dropdown
4. Choose from: South Indian Regular, South Indian Irregular, North Indian, or East Indian
5. Click OK to apply

Pro tip: JHora can display two charts simultaneously in mixed mode. If you collaborate with astrologers who use a different regional style, enable “Use of 2 Chart Styles” in display preferences. This shows the same chart in both North and South Indian formats side by side.

Language and Display Settings

Jagannatha Hora supports multiple languages for chart labels and planet names. This goes beyond simple translation; you can display planet and sign names using Sanskrit terminology (Surya, Chandra, Mesha, Vrishabha) or English equivalents (Sun, Moon, Aries, Taurus).

Changing the Display Language

JHora supports charts in English, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Sanskrit, and several other Indian languages. To change your language:

1. Go to Preferences from the top menu
2. Select “Related to display”
3. Find the Language dropdown
4. Select your preferred language
5. Click OK to save

Important note: If you see garbled characters or boxes instead of text after changing to an Indian language, your Windows system likely lacks the required Unicode fonts. You may need to install language support through Windows Settings, or in extreme cases, the Telugu or Hindi font packs separately. We have a complete guide on fixing JHora font display errors that walks you through the solution.

Choosing Between Sanskrit and English Planet Names

Within the display preferences, you can also choose how planet and sign names appear. Options include:

• English abbreviations (Su, Mo, Ma, Me, Ju, Ve, Sa, Ra, Ke)
• English full names (Sun, Moon, Mars, etc.)
• Sanskrit names (Surya, Chandra, Mangal, Budha, Guru, Shukra, Shani, Rahu, Ketu)
• Sanskrit abbreviations (Sur, Cha, Man, etc.)

Similarly, sign names can appear as Aries/Taurus/Gemini or Mesha/Vrishabha/Mithuna. Pick whatever feels most natural to your practice.

Essential Calculation Preferences

Beyond Ayanamsa, JHora offers numerous calculation options that affect chart accuracy and methodology. Here are the most important ones to understand.

Geocentric vs Topocentric Positions

Found under Preferences > Related to calculations and methodology > Planet calculation options.

Geocentric: Calculates planetary positions as viewed from Earth’s center. This is the traditional approach used in classical Vedic astrology.

Topocentric: Calculates positions from your actual birth location on Earth’s surface. This accounts for parallax effects, particularly noticeable for the Moon.

Recommendation: Use Geocentric for traditional Vedic astrology. The topocentric option exists primarily for those practicing KP astrology, which specifically requires topocentric positions.

True Nodes vs Mean Nodes

Rahu and Ketu (the lunar nodes) can be calculated two ways:

Mean nodes: Uses the average mathematical motion of the nodes, which always move backward (retrograde) at a steady rate.

True nodes: Uses actual astronomical positions, which occasionally wobble forward briefly before continuing backward motion.

Traditional Vedic astrology generally used mean nodes since ancient astronomers lacked the precision to calculate true oscillations. Many modern astrologers prefer true nodes for astronomical accuracy. This setting matters most when nodes sit near sign boundaries.

Bhava (House) Calculation System

JHora supports multiple house division systems under the bhava chart options:

• Equal houses: Each house spans exactly 30 degrees from the Ascendant. The default for most Vedic work.
• Sripati: Houses centered on house cusps rather than starting from them. Useful for certain prediction techniques.
• Placidus: The standard in Western astrology. Required for KP system practitioners.
• Koch, Regiomontanus, Campanus: Other Western systems occasionally used for research.

Recommendation: Stick with equal houses unless your specific astrological tradition requires otherwise.

Dasha Year Configuration

JHora offers multiple definitions for the length of a year used in dasha calculations:

• 365.2425 days: Standard Gregorian calendar year
• 360 days: Traditional Vedic year used in some classical calculations
• Solar year: Based on Sun’s actual transit
• Tithi year: Based on lunar phases

The choice affects when dasha and antardasha periods begin and end. Most practitioners use the 365.2425 day option for practical synchronization with calendar dates. If you want to see how dasha periods work in practice for timing life events, our guide on marriage timing using Vimshottari Dasha and transits provides a real world example.

Saving and Backing Up Your Settings

Once you have configured JHora to your liking, protect your setup by backing up your preferences file.

To export your settings:

• Go to File > Export preferences (.ini file)
• Choose a location and filename
• Save the file somewhere safe (cloud storage, external drive, etc.)

To import settings:

• Go to File > Import preferences (.ini file)
• Navigate to your saved .ini file
• Select and open it

This feature also lets you share settings with students or receive recommended configurations from teachers.

Recommended Settings for Beginners

If you want a quick starting configuration, here are my recommendations for new users:

• Ayanamsa: True Lahiri/Chitrapaksha (for maximum compatibility)
• Chart style: South Indian (for consistent sign positions) or North Indian (for consistent house positions), based on your learning tradition
• Language: English (avoid font problems)
• Planet positions: Geocentric, True positions
• Nodes: True nodes
• House system: Equal houses
• Dasha year: 365.2425 days

These defaults work for 90% of traditional Vedic astrology practice. Experiment with alternatives only after you have built solid foundational knowledge.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you run into problems after changing settings, here are quick fixes for the most common issues:

Charts showing wrong locations or “Location not found” errors: This usually happens when the atlas cannot find your city. See our detailed guide on fixing the JHora location not found error.

Garbled text or boxes instead of letters: Your system is missing Indian language fonts. Follow our font error fix guidefor the solution.

Software not opening or crashing: Try reinstalling using our platform specific guides for Windows, Mac, or Linux.

What to Do Next

Now that your Jagannatha Hora is properly configured, you are ready to start creating and analyzing charts. Once you become comfortable with the basics, you can explore advanced topics like understanding how planetary placements affect life areas or timing predictions using dasha periods.

If you prefer using JHora on mobile devices, remember that while there is no official app, we have compiled the best Jagannath Hora alternatives for Android and iOS.

Frequently Asked Questions