Vimshottari Dasha API

What the endpoint returns

POST /v1/astro/dasha computes the Vimshottari periods from the Moon's nakshatra at birth and returns them as a tree. Each period carries planet, start_date, end_date, the Julian-day equivalents, and sub, an array of the next level down. The levels parameter sets how deep the tree goes, from 1 (Mahadasha only) to 5 (Prana). The response also includes an interpretation block with the current Mahadasha and Antardasha and structured favourable and unfavourable conditions.

Request

curl -X POST https://api.asterwise.com/v1/astro/dasha \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ASTERWISE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"date":"1985-11-12","time":"06:45","latitude":19.076,"longitude":72.8777,"timezone":"Asia/Kolkata","levels":5}'

Fields: date (required, YYYY-MM-DD), time (HH:MM; a sunrise chart is used if omitted), latitude, longitude, timezone (IANA), ayanamsa (lahiri by default; raman, kp), levels (1 to 5).

Response, abbreviated

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "success",
  "data": {
    "periods": [
      {
        "planet": "Rahu",
        "start_date": "12/11/1985",
        "end_date": "28/04/1988",
        "sub": [
          { "planet": "Rahu", "start_date": "12/11/1985", "end_date": "26/03/1986", "sub": [ ... ] }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "interpretation": { "current_mahadasha": { "planet": "...", "duration_years": ..., "favorable_conditions": [ ... ] } },
    "birth_time_provided": true
  }
}

The full field list, including start_jd, end_jd and the interpretation fields, is in the Vimshottari dasha reference.

Why five levels matter

Vimshottari defines five nested periods. A Mahadasha runs from six years (Sun) to twenty (Venus); a Prana period runs days. Any product that times events, from a daily reading to a muhurta suggestion, needs the lower levels, and not every API publishes them: of the seven compared, one documents two levels and one three. The reasoning, with worked dates, is in The five levels of Vimshottari Dasha.

The other dasha systems

What you can verify before you build

The positions underneath every dasha come from the same engine that was checked against NASA JPL Horizons: median difference 0.046 arcseconds over 80 positions, with the raw data and script on the accuracy page. The comparison pages show which other providers publish dasha depth and at what price.

Call it from an SDK or an agent

The Python and TypeScript SDKs expose the same endpoint with typed responses. The MCP server exposes it as a tool, so Claude or Cursor can ask for a dasha tree directly.