What the timeline shows
Vimshottari is the dasha system most Indian astrologers use. Its name means one hundred and twenty, the number of years in the full cycle. The cycle is divided among nine planets in a fixed order: Ketu 7 years, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19 and Mercury 17. Each of these major periods is a Mahadasha, and each is divided again into nine Antardashas, or sub-periods, in the same order.
This tool lays the whole of it out on one page. At the top is a coloured bar with the Mahadashas from birth to the end of the cycle, with a marker for today. Below it each Mahadasha has its own small table of nine Antardashas with their start dates, end dates and the age at which each begins. The page is made for printing on A4 paper, and you can save it as a PDF from the print window.
How the dates are worked out
The first Mahadasha is the one ruled by the lord of the Moon’s nakshatra at birth. How much of it is left depends on how far the Moon had travelled through that nakshatra: if the Moon was at the start of the nakshatra, nearly all of the period remains, and if it was near the end, very little is left. The tool finds the Moon’s position at birth, works out the part of the first period already used, and then runs the nine periods in order from there. Each Antardasha is a share of its Mahadasha in proportion to the planet’s years, so Venus takes 20 parts in 120 of every Mahadasha.
The calculation uses years of 365.2425 days, the same as the Mahadasha calculator, and takes the Moon from the same engine, so the dates on the two pages agree. Conventions differ between programs: some use a 365.25-day year and some a 360-day year, and the difference can add up to several weeks by old age. If your family astrologer’s dates differ slightly from this page, the year length is the first thing to ask about.
Reading the timeline
The tradition reads each Mahadasha through the planet that rules it: its sign, its house and its nakshatra in the birth chart, and its relationship with the other planets. The Antardasha adds the flavour of a second planet. A period is not good or bad in itself, and the same Mahadasha can feel quite different to two people. Some people find it helpful to look back at the periods they have already lived through and see whether the themes of the planet match their memories, which is a gentle way to understand how the system is meant to be read. You can see the chart that goes with the periods in the printable kundali.
For the meaning of each Mahadasha in general, our articles on the Sun Mahadasha, Moon Mahadasha, Mars Mahadasha, Mercury Mahadasha, Jupiter Mahadasha and Saturn Mahadasha describe the themes the tradition gives them.
If you do not know your birth time
The dasha depends on the Moon, which moves about half a degree an hour. If you leave the time out, the tool takes the Moon at midday, and every date can then be out by several months in either direction. The order of the planets stays right only if the Moon is not near the edge of a nakshatra, and even then the dates are approximate. A time within a few minutes gives dates that are good to within days.
What it does not do
This page lists periods; it does not say what will happen in them. It is not a prediction, a promise or a warning, and it is no substitute for advice from a qualified professional on health, money or relationships. The dasha is one of the tools of Jyotish, and the tradition itself reads it together with the whole birth chart and the transits of the planets.
Frequently asked questions
↳ How long is the Vimshottari cycle?
120 years in total, shared among nine planets: Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18, Jupiter 16, Saturn 19 and Mercury 17. A life usually passes through some of these in the order the Moon's nakshatra sets.
↳ Why is my first Mahadasha shorter than its full length?
You are born part-way through it. The part already used depends on how far the Moon had travelled through its nakshatra at birth, so only the balance of the first period belongs to your life.
↳ Why do the dates differ from my astrologer's?
The usual reasons are the length of the year (365.2425, 365.25 or 360 days), a different ayanamsa, or a birth time that was rounded. Ask which year length they use, then compare.
↳ Does the timeline match the Mahadasha calculator?
Yes. Both use the same arithmetic and the same Moon engine, so the Mahadasha and Antardasha dates agree. The calculator also shows the Pratyantardasha running today.
↳ Can I print it?
Yes. Press the print button. Each Mahadasha is kept together, and the rest of the page is hidden in the printout. Choose "Save as PDF" in the print window if you want a digital copy.