Var Nishchaya muhurat: auspicious engagement dates

Var Nishchaya is the Sanskrit name for the engagement, the sagai or roka at which the two families formally settle the match and exchange rings and gifts. It carries its own shubh muhurat, separate from the wedding's, because it marks the promise rather than the marriage. Tarini gives you dated, timed windows judged against the bride's and the groom's birth charts, ranked so you can see which is strongest, with the days tradition asks you to leave alone marked clearly. Most families want the सगाई मुहूर्त inside the month they are already planning around rather than months away, so the windows are worked out for the period you actually have, in your own city's timings.

About this muhurat

The sagai or roka, timed properly. You get dated windows that work for both families' charts and both families' calendars — usually inside the month you are already planning around, not months away.

Var Nishchaya, known across north India as the sagai or roka and in the south as nischayathartham, is the ceremony where both households publicly accept the alliance. Rings, clothes and sweets are exchanged, elders give their blessing, and the wedding date is often announced in the same gathering. It is usually held a few weeks to a few months before the wedding, in the morning or early evening within the chosen window, at whichever home or hall the families prefer. Being a promise rather than the marriage itself, it is reckoned on lighter conditions than the wedding lagna.

What you receive

• Ranked, dated and timed engagement windows within the period you choose
• Judged against the relevant birth chart, not a generic panchang
• Days and windows to avoid, marked clearly