The 12 Houses of the Birth Chart

How the Houses Work

A horoscope is a map of the sky at the moment of birth. The sign rising on the eastern horizon becomes the 1st house or Ascendant, and the remaining eleven houses follow in order, counted anti-clockwise in the South Indian and Western styles and from the top in the North Indian style.

Each house is coloured by the sign placed on it, the planet that rules that sign (the house lord), and any planets placed in or aspecting it. An astrologer reads all three together to understand that area of life.

Explore Each House

1st HouseTanu Bhava 2nd HouseDhana Bhava 3rd HouseSahaja Bhava 4th HouseSukha 5th HousePutra Bhava 6th HouseRipu 7th HouseKalatra 8th HouseAyur 9th HouseDharma 10th HouseKarma Bhava 11th HouseLabha Bhava 12th HouseVyaya Bhava

What Each House Signifies

Types of Houses

• Kendra (angular): 1, 4, 7, 10 — the pillars of the chart; planets here are prominent and powerful
• Trikona (trines): 1, 5, 9 — houses of fortune and dharma; the most auspicious
• Dusthana (difficult): 6, 8, 12 — houses of obstacles, change and loss, and of growth through them
• Upachaya (growth): 3, 6, 10, 11 — results improve with time and effort; malefics often do well here
• Maraka: 2, 7 — houses examined in questions of longevity
• Artha 2, 6, 10 · Kama 3, 7, 11 · Moksha 4, 8, 12 · Dharma 1, 5, 9 — the four aims of life