How to Read a North Indian vs South Indian Chart Layout
The same Kundli can be drawn as a diamond or a square grid. Learn which part stays fixed in each, and convert between them in a minute.
About 6 min read
Checked by an AI-assisted fact-check on 16 October 2026. Human review by Abhishek Kumar: pending.
North Indian and South Indian charts show exactly the same information drawn two different ways. In the North Indian diamond, the houses stay fixed: the top-centre diamond is always the 1st house (Lagna), and the signs move round depending on your Lagna. In the South Indian square, the signs stay fixed: each of the twelve boxes always holds the same sign, and the Lagna is marked in whichever box it falls. Learn which part is fixed and you can read either.
Neither style is more accurate. The calculation underneath is identical; only the drawing changes.
Reading a North Indian chart
The North Indian chart is a square with both diagonals drawn and a diamond joining the midpoints of its sides. That creates twelve sections: four diamonds and eight triangles.
Where each house sits
The houses never move. Starting at the top and running anticlockwise:
| House | Position in the North Indian chart |
|---|---|
| 1st (Lagna) | Top-centre diamond |
| 2nd | Top-left triangle |
| 3rd | Upper triangle on the left edge |
| 4th | Left-centre diamond |
| 5th | Lower triangle on the left edge |
| 6th | Bottom-left triangle |
| 7th | Bottom-centre diamond |
| 8th | Bottom-right triangle |
| 9th | Lower triangle on the right edge |
| 10th | Right-centre diamond |
| 11th | Upper triangle on the right edge |
| 12th | Top-right triangle |
The four diamonds are the four kendras (angular houses 1, 4, 7 and 10), which is one reason astrologers like this layout: the most emphasised houses stand out at a glance.
What the numbers mean
On most traditional North Indian charts, each section carries a number from 1 to 12. That number is the sign, not the house:
| Number | Sign | Number | Sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesha (Aries) | 7 | Tula (Libra) |
| 2 | Vrishabha (Taurus) | 8 | Vrischika (Scorpio) |
| 3 | Mithuna (Gemini) | 9 | Dhanu (Sagittarius) |
| 4 | Karka (Cancer) | 10 | Makara (Capricorn) |
| 5 | Simha (Leo) | 11 | Kumbha (Aquarius) |
| 6 | Kanya (Virgo) | 12 | Meena (Pisces) |
So the number in the top diamond tells you the Lagna sign. If it says 2, you have a Vrishabha Lagna; the top-left triangle (2nd house) will say 3, and so on round.
A common trap: some software prints the house number in each box instead of the sign number, and shows the Lagna sign separately. ProperPandit's own chart does this: the boxes carry house numbers and the Lagna sign is shown beside the chart. Before reading any North Indian chart, check which kind of number you are looking at. If the top diamond says "1" and your Lagna is not Mesha, the numbers are house numbers.
Reading the planets
Planets are written as short codes in the section they occupy: in English often Su, Mo, Ma, Me, Ju, Ve, Sa, Ra, Ke; in Hindi charts सू, चं, मं, बु, गु, शु, श, रा, के. A mark such as "(R)" or "व" usually indicates a retrograde planet. Degrees may be printed beside each code.
Reading a South Indian chart
The South Indian chart is a square divided into a four-by-four grid. The outer twelve boxes hold the signs; the four central boxes are usually left blank or carry the person's name and birth details.
Where each sign sits
The signs never move. Starting with Meena (Pisces) at the top left, they run clockwise:
| Meena (12) | Mesha (1) | Vrishabha (2) | Mithuna (3) |
| Kumbha (11) | Karka (4) | ||
| Makara (10) | Simha (5) | ||
| Dhanu (9) | Vrischika (8) | Tula (7) | Kanya (6) |
The Lagna is marked in its sign's box, usually with "Asc", "La" or "Lagna", or with a diagonal line across the box. To find the houses, call the Lagna's box the 1st house and count clockwise.
Because the signs are fixed, this style makes it easy to see sign-based relationships, such as which planets are in mutual signs, and to lay a transit chart over a birth chart. South Indian charts are often written in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada or Malayalam script, with their own planet abbreviations.
One chart, drawn both ways
Suppose a person has:
- Lagna in Simha (Leo)
- Sun and Mercury in Karka
- Moon in Vrischika
- Saturn in Kumbha
South Indian: mark "Asc" in the Simha box (right edge, third row). Write Su and Me in the Karka box above it, Mo in the Vrischika box on the bottom row, and Sa in the Kumbha box on the left edge.
North Indian: write 5 (Simha) in the top diamond. Running anticlockwise, the top-left triangle gets 6, the upper-left triangle 7, the left diamond 8, and so on, until the top-right triangle gets 4. Then place each planet in the section carrying its sign number:
- Su and Me go where 4 is: the top-right triangle, the 12th house.
- Mo goes where 8 is: the left diamond, the 4th house.
- Sa goes where 11 is: the bottom-centre diamond, the 7th house.
Same chart, same houses: in both drawings the Moon is in the 4th house and Saturn in the 7th.
Converting between the two
North Indian → South Indian
- Read the number in the top diamond. That is the Lagna sign. Mark it in the matching South Indian box.
- For each planet, read the sign number of the section it sits in, and write the planet in that sign's South Indian box.
South Indian → North Indian
- Find the Lagna box; note its sign number. Write that number in the top diamond.
- Write the next numbers in order, anticlockwise, round the remaining eleven sections (after 12 comes 1).
- Put each planet in the section carrying its sign's number.
If your chart shows house numbers instead
Work out each planet's sign with: sign number = Lagna sign number + house number − 1, subtracting 12 if the answer is above 12. With a Simha (5) Lagna, a planet in the 9th house is in sign 5 + 9 − 1 = 13, minus 12 = 1, Mesha.
The East Indian style
In Bengal, Odisha, Assam and neighbouring regions, many families use a third layout: a square divided into nine sections, with the corner sections split diagonally. Like the South Indian chart it usually keeps the signs fixed, with Mesha (Aries) in the top-centre section and the others following anticlockwise. Conventions for this style vary more between printers and software than the other two, so read the legend on the chart or ask the astrologer who prepared it. As with the others, only the drawing differs.
Which style should you use?
Use the one your family, astrologer or region is used to. As a rough guide, the diamond is common in north, west and central India, the grid in south India, and the East Indian layout in the east. Many Kundli tools, including the ProperPandit Kundli generator, draw the North Indian style. If you need to compare your chart with one prepared in another style, the conversion steps above take only a few minutes.
Once you can read the layout, the next step is understanding what the houses mean: see the 12 houses of a Kundli.
About this article: it is for general information only, researched from the public sources listed above. It may contain errors or leave out local customs, and it is not religious, medical, legal or financial advice. Practices vary by family, region and tradition, so please follow your family pandit's guidance. Spotted a mistake? Tell us on WhatsApp and we'll correct it.