Muhurtham
The auspicious moment chosen by an astrologer for a Hindu wedding rite.
Also: muhurat, muhurta, muhurtam
A muhurtham is the stretch of time, usually of about forty-eight minutes, that a priest or astrologer judges favourable for an important act. For a wedding, the date and the hour of the key rite, such as tying the thali or the saptapadi, are fixed from the horoscopes of the couple, the lunar calendar and the position of the planets. In Tamil and Telugu homes the word is muhurtham, in Hindi muhurat. Weddings in India cluster on dates where the muhurat is shubh, and large wedding halls in cities are booked years ahead for them.
Region: South Asia