The Nine Devas, Khleang style of Angkor.
Navagraha, Sun at the center surrounded by the planets, Painting by Raja Ravi Varma

The navagraha (Sanskrit: नवग्रह, Nine planets) are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu mythology.[1] The term is derived from nava (Sanskrit: नव "nine") and graha (Sanskrit: ग्रह "planet, seizing, laying hold of, holding"). The nine parts of the navagraha are the Sun, Moon, planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, and the two nodes of the Moon.[2]

A typical navagraha shrine found inside a Hindu temple

The term planet was applied originally only to the five planets known (i.e., visible to the naked eye) and excluded the Earth. The term was later generalized, particularly during the Middle Ages, to include the sun and the moon (sometimes referred to as "lights"), making a total of seven planets. The seven days of the week of the Hindu calendar also corresponds with the seven classical planets and European culture also following same patron and are named accordingly in most languages of the Indian subcontinent. Most Hindu temples around the world have a designated place dedicated to the worship of the navagraha.

Origins and historical development

The conceptual foundations of the Navagraha lie in the earliest stratum of Vedic literature. The Rigveda and the Atharvaveda mention the Sun, Moon, and several stars as cosmic agents having influence by earth, though no systematized group of nine planetary deities is yet attested in these texts.[3] The Atharvaveda contains references to eclipse-causing "demons", and the Chandogya Upanishad names Rahu as a shadow enity help responsible for eclipses and meteors, representing one of the earliest textual acknowledgement of what would later become the chaya graha (shadow planet) concept.[4]

The specific term "graha" in its astrological sense was not applied to the shadow entities until the later Mahabharata and Ramayana.[4] By the early centuries CE, contact with Hellenistic culture and earlier Babylonian astronomy led to a significant transformation of Indian planetary thought. Conceptions of the five visible planets entered Indian cosmological literature through this cross-cultural exchange.[3][5] After the third century CE, Indian calendars adopted the seven-day week structured around the seven classical planets, a notion that had originated in Babylonia and diffused through the Hellenistic world.[3] The Yavanajataka of 120 - 150 CE often credited with standardising horoscopic astrology in India through the synthesis of these Greco-Babylonian elements with Indegnous nakshatra-based timekeeping.[6] The Navagraha was further shaped by Zoroastrian and other West Asian contributions during the Kushana and Gupta periods, reflecting the broader Indo-Iranian exchange documented in the astronomical record of the period.[6]

Rahu and Ketu were integrated as full members of the canonical nine only gradually; by the 8th to 9th century CE, they were firmly established as "chaya grahas", completing the Navagraha as it is recognised today.[3]

Iconography

Each of the nine grahas is anthropomorphised with a distinctive iconographic programme that developed during the early medieval period i.e 5th - 12th century CE. The standard scholarly treatment of this material identifies clear Hellenistic influence is clearly depictions of planetary deties holding attributes parallel to those of Greco-Roman gods, with these forms thoroughly indigenised into distinctly Indian iconography by the medieval period.[7]

Each graha is associated with a particular colour, vahana, number of arms, weapon, and directional orientation. Surya is typically depicted standing or seated on a chariot drawn by seven horses; he holds lotus blossoms and wears northern-style boots and armour, a stylistic feature linking him to early Kushana era solar iconographic.[8] Chandra rides a chariot pulled by an antelope or is depicted on a hare, and carries a lotus. Mangala rides a ram and is shown with a red complexion, carrying a trident and mace. Shani is depicted in dark blue or black, being "chaya grahas" without physical bodies, are conventionally depicted as serpentine or headless forms: Rahu as a severed head riding a chariot or lion, and Ketu as a headless torso with a serpent's tail.[7]

In South Indian Shaiva temples, particularly those of Tamil Nadu, the nine figures are typically aligned in a single row facing the main sanctum, with no two grahas facing each other. In North Indian temples, Navagraha panels are more commonly carved on door lintels ("dvarasakha"), functioning as protective cosmic guardians of the threshold.[9]

Role in Jyotisha (Hindu astrology)

The Navagraha constitute the foundational planetary framework of Jyotisha, one of the six Vedanga.[10] In Jyotisha, each graha rules specific rasis (zodiac signs), governs particular domains of human life, and presides over defined periods through the system of dashas i.e. planetary periods.[3]

The Navagraha are divided into natural benefics i.e. shubha grahas particularly Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, and the waxing Moon and natural malefics i.e. Krura grahas mainly Mars, Saturn, and the shadow planets Rahu and Ketu, as well as the Sun under certain conditions. A negative planetary inpact is termed a 'dosha' ; Saturn and the shadow planets are considered the most consistently challenging.[3]

Ritual worship and remedial practices

Navagraha workship takes place at both the personal domestic level and within Hindu temple precincts. Most Hindu temples maintain a designated "Navagraha mandapa", in which the nine deities are installed in a prescribed spatial arrangement, with Surya at the centre and the other eight in the eight cardinal and inter-cardinal directions, no two facing each other.[3]

Temples

Navagraha temples of Tamil Nadu. The most celebrated circuit comprises nine Shaiva shrines within roughly 100km of Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, eac dedicated primarily to one graha; the exception is Surya Kovil, which centres on Surya himself. The present masonry structures of this circuit date to the Medeival Chola period.[11]

Beyond Hinduism, the Navagraha's influence extends to Jainism and Buddhism, including integration into Vajrayana ritual practice in the Newar valley of Nepal.[3]

Mythological narratives underlying the relationships

Surya and Shani - The narrative is preserved in several Puranas including the Markandeya Purana, the Vaana Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.[12][13]

Brihaspati and Shukra - Recounted in the Devi-Bhagawat Purana and the Mahabharat (Shanti Parva).[14]

List

Navagrahas:[1]
No. Image Name Western equivalent Day Ratna Stotra[15]
1. Surya Sun Sunday Ruby japākusuma saṅkāśaṃ kāśyapēyaṃ mahādyutim ।

tamō'riṃ sarva pāpaghnaṃ praṇatōsmi divākaram ॥1॥

2. Chandra Moon Monday Pearl dadhiśaṅkha tuṣārābhaṃ kṣīrōdārṇava sambhavam ।

namāmi śaśinaṃ sōmaṃ śambhō-rmakuṭa bhūṣaṇam ॥2॥

3. Mangala Mars Tuesday Red coral dharaṇī garbha sambhūtaṃ vidyutkānti samaprabham ।

kumāraṃ śaktihastaṃ taṃ maṅgaḻaṃ praṇamāmyaham ॥3॥

4. Budha Mercury Wednesday Emerald priyaṅgu kalikāśyāmaṃ rūpēṇā pratimaṃ budham ।

saumyaṃ saumya guṇōpētaṃ taṃ budhaṃ praṇamāmyaham ॥4॥

5. Brihaspati/Guru Jupiter Thursday Yellow sapphire dēvānāṃ cha ṛṣīṇāṃ cha guruṃ kāñchanasannibham ।

buddhimantaṃ trilōkēśaṃ taṃ namāmi bṛhaspatim ॥5॥

6. Shukra Venus Friday Diamond himakunda mṛṇāḻābhaṃ daityānaṃ paramaṃ gurum ।

sarvaśāstra pravaktāraṃ bhārgavaṃ praṇamāmyaham ॥6॥

7. Shani Saturn Saturday Blue

sapphire

 nīlāñjana samābhāsaṃ raviputraṃ yamāgrajam ।

chāyā mārtāṇḍa sambhūtaṃ taṃ namāmi śanaiścharam ॥7॥

8. Rahu Ascending node of the Moon/Uranus Hessonite garnet ardhakāyaṃ mahāvīraṃ chandrāditya vimardhanam ।

siṃhikā garbha sambhūtaṃ taṃ rāhuṃ praṇamāmyaham ॥8॥

9. Ketu Descending node of the Moon/Neptune Cat's eye chrysoberyl palāśa puṣpa saṅkāśaṃ tārakāgrahamastakam ।

raudraṃ raudrātmakaṃ ghōraṃ taṃ kētuṃ praṇamāmyaham ॥9॥

Music

Muthuswami Dikshitar (1776–1835), a Carnatic music composer from southern India, composed the Navagraha Kritis in praise of the nine grahas.[16] Each song is a prayer to one of the nine planets. The Sahitya (lyrics) of the songs reflect a profound knowledge of the mantra and jyotisha sastras.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  2. ↑ Sanskrit-English Dictionary by Monier-Williams, 1899
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Britannica, "Navagraha".
  4. 1 2 Yano 2008.
  5. ↑ Britannica astronomy.
  6. 1 2 Pingree 1963.
  7. 1 2 Gopinatha Rao 1914.
  8. ↑ Harle 1994, pp. 140–142.
  9. ↑ Kramrisch 1946.
  10. ↑ Lochtefeld 2002, p. 312.
  11. ↑ Anantharaman 2006.
  12. ↑ Pargiter 1904.
  13. ↑ Gupta 1968.
  14. ↑ Ganguli 1883–1896.
  15. ↑ "Nava Graha Stotram". Vignanam. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  16. ↑ "Dikshitar: Navagraha". www.medieval.org. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  • "Navagraha". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  • "Saros cycle". Encyclopædia Britannica.
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  • Gopinatha Rao, T. A. (1914) [repr. Motilal Banarsidass]. Elements of Hindu Iconography. Vol. I, Part II. Madras.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Harle, James C. (1994). The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. Yale University Press. pp. 140–142.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Kramrisch, Stella (1946) [repr. Motilal Banarsidass]. The Hindu Temple. Vol. I. University of Calcutta.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Vol. A–M. Rosen Publishing Group. p. 312.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Anantharaman, Ambujam (2006). Temples of South India (2nd ed.). Chennai: East West Books (Madras). ISBN 978-81-88661-42-8.
  • Pargiter, F. Eden (1904). Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa. Asiatic Society of Bengal.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Gupta, Anand Swarup (1968). Vāmana Purāṇa. All-India Kashiraj Trust.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Navagraha at Wikimedia Commons
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navagraha