D7 chart calculator (saptamsa chart online)
This saptamsa calculator makes the D7 chart from a date, time and place of birth. It shows the sign each planet and the Lagna fall in when every sign is cut into seven parts, how many minutes the D7 Lagna holds for that birth time, and the D7 chart next to the birth chart, North or South Indian style. If the time is not known, you get each planet’s D7 sign for the whole day.
What the saptamsa is
Saptamsa means “seventh part”. In the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra it is one of the sixteen vargas, and the text assigns it to children and grandchildren; astrologers who follow it look at the D7 together with the 5th house of the birth chart. The same verses give the seven parts of an odd sign names drawn from seven fluids — Kshara, Kshira, Dadhi, Ghrita, Ikshurasa, Madya, Shuddha jala — and reverse the order for an even sign. Those names are part of the classical description; the calculator shows the signs.
How the saptamsa is worked out
A sign is divided into seven parts of 4°17′8.57″ each. For an odd sign the seven saptamsas start from the sign itself; for an even sign they start from the 7th sign from it, the opposite sign. Take a planet at 10° of Mithun: that is the 3rd part (8°34′–12°51′), and Mithun is odd, so count three signs from Mithun to reach Singh. At 10° of Kark, also the 3rd part, the count starts from Makar, the 7th from Kark, and ends at Meen.
| Sign | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesh Odd: from itself | Mesh | Vrishabh | Mithun | Kark | Singh | Kanya | Tula |
| Vrishabh Even: from the 7th | Vrishchik | Dhanu | Makar | Kumbh | Meen | Mesh | Vrishabh |
| Mithun Odd: from itself | Mithun | Kark | Singh | Kanya | Tula | Vrishchik | Dhanu |
| Kark Even: from the 7th | Makar | Kumbh | Meen | Mesh | Vrishabh | Mithun | Kark |
| Singh Odd: from itself | Singh | Kanya | Tula | Vrishchik | Dhanu | Makar | Kumbh |
| Kanya Even: from the 7th | Meen | Mesh | Vrishabh | Mithun | Kark | Singh | Kanya |
| Tula Odd: from itself | Tula | Vrishchik | Dhanu | Makar | Kumbh | Meen | Mesh |
| Vrishchik Even: from the 7th | Vrishabh | Mithun | Kark | Singh | Kanya | Tula | Vrishchik |
| Dhanu Odd: from itself | Dhanu | Makar | Kumbh | Meen | Mesh | Vrishabh | Mithun |
| Makar Even: from the 7th | Kark | Singh | Kanya | Tula | Vrishchik | Dhanu | Makar |
| Kumbh Odd: from itself | Kumbh | Meen | Mesh | Vrishabh | Mithun | Kark | Singh |
| Meen Even: from the 7th | Kanya | Tula | Vrishchik | Dhanu | Makar | Kumbh | Meen |
In bold: the part that falls in the sign itself (the 1st of an odd sign, the 7th of an even sign).
An unbroken sequence
Follow the table row by row and the signs never skip: the last saptamsa of Mesh is Tula and the first of Vrishabh is Vrishchik; the last of Vrishabh is Vrishabh and the first of Mithun is Mithun. All 84 saptamsas of the zodiac run in order, seven times round from Mesh. That is why the odd-even rule and the plain division of the longitude by 4°17′8.57″ always agree, and why the D7 Lagna moves to the next sign each time it changes.
How exact the time needs to be
At about one degree every four minutes, the Lagna takes around 17 minutes to cross a saptamsa, less when a sign of short ascension is rising. A birth time that is out by ten minutes can move the D7 Lagna, and with it every house of the D7 chart. The result gives the clock times between which the D7 Lagna stays in its sign and flags a change within five minutes. The planets are far steadier: only the Moon is likely to change saptamsa within a few hours.
Worked example
Take a birth in Kolkata, 8 March 1975, 06:23 IST. The Lagna stood at 2°07′ in Meen: its 1st saptamsa, so the D7 Lagna is Kanya. The Moon at 29°22′ in Dhanu is in the 7th part and goes to Mithun in the D7. Keeping their birth-chart sign: Mercury.
As Lagna (ascendant), Su Sun, Mo Moon, Ma Mars, Me Mercury, Ju Jupiter, Ve Venus, Sa Saturn, Ra Rahu, Ke Ketu.
| Planet | Birth chart (D1) | Part of sign | Saptamsa (D7) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lagna | Meen 2°07′ | 1st of 7 | Kanya |
| Sun | Kumbh 23°18′ | 6th of 7 | Kark |
| Moon | Dhanu 29°22′ | 7th of 7 | Mithun |
| Mars | Makar 10°06′ | 3rd of 7 | Kanya |
| Mercury | Makar 26°08′ | 7th of 7 | Makar |
| Jupiter | Meen 3°54′ | 1st of 7 | Kanya |
| Venus | Meen 22°00′ | 6th of 7 | Kumbh |
| Saturn | Mithun 18°27′ | 5th of 7 | Tula |
| Rahu | Vrishchik 11°35′ | 3rd of 7 | Kark |
| Ketu | Vrishabh 11°35′ | 3rd of 7 | Makar |
How the calculator works
- Turn the local birth time into Universal Time using the UTC offset.
- Work out the sidereal (Lahiri) longitudes of the nine grahas in your browser from a published planetary theory, which agrees with NASA/JPL Horizons to a few thousandths of a degree.
- Given a place, find the Lagna from the local sidereal time, as on the Lagna calculator, and the minutes for which its saptamsa holds (up to 66° north or south).
- Place each body in its seventh of the sign and apply the odd-even count.
- Note a D7 Lagna change within five minutes, the Moon within about half an hour of a saptamsa edge and the other planets within 0.05°; with no time, scan the whole day.
Related tools
- D10 chart calculator: the dasamsa, ten parts of 3°.
- D9 chart calculator: the navamsa, nine parts of 3°20′.
- D60 chart calculator: the shashtiamsa, sixty parts of half a degree.
- Lagna calculator: the ascendant of the birth chart.
Frequently asked questions
What is the D7 chart?
The D7 chart, or saptamsa chart, is the seventh divisional chart of Vedic astrology. Each sign is divided into seven equal parts of 4 degrees 17 minutes 8.57 seconds, each part is given a sign, and the Lagna and every planet are placed in the sign of their part.
How is the saptamsa calculated?
Find which seventh of its sign a planet is in. In an odd sign (Mesh, Mithun, Singh, Tula, Dhanu, Kumbh) count that many signs from the sign itself; in an even sign (Vrishabh, Kark, Kanya, Vrishchik, Makar, Meen) count from the 7th sign from it. The two cases join up, so the same answer comes from dividing the sidereal longitude by 4°17′8.57″, dropping the fraction and counting that many signs on from Mesh (0 is Mesh itself), round and round the zodiac.
What is the D7 chart used for?
The Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra lists the saptamsa as the division for children and grandchildren, and astrologers in that tradition read it with the 5th house of the birth chart. This page explains the tradition and draws the chart; it makes no prediction about children or anything else.
How long does the D7 Lagna stay the same?
About 17 minutes on average, because a saptamsa is a little over 4 degrees and the Lagna moves about a degree every four minutes. It is shorter when a fast-rising sign is on the horizon and longer for a slow-rising one. The calculator gives the exact window for the time and place entered and warns when the D7 Lagna changes within five minutes.
Why is the saptamsa not a whole number of degrees?
Thirty degrees does not divide evenly by seven, so each part is 30/7 degrees, about 4°17′9″. The calculator works on the exact fraction, so a planet just either side of an edge is placed correctly.
Can I see the D7 chart without the birth time?
Partly. The Moon enters a new saptamsa about every eight hours, so it can change once or twice in a day; the other planets change far less often. Without a time the calculator lists each planet's D7 sign through the day with the clock time of every change. The D7 Lagna needs the exact time and the place, so it is not shown.
Which zodiac, ayanamsa and nodes are used?
The sidereal zodiac with the Lahiri ayanamsa, the same as every calculator on this site, and the mean nodes for Rahu and Ketu, with a note when the true node gives another sign.
Is my data stored?
No. Everything is computed in your browser and nothing is stored or sent. The details appear in the page address only if you use the share link.