Navagraha

Navagraha, a Raja Ravi Varma painting (sun at the center)

Navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu astrology. The term is derived from nava (Template:Lang-sa "nine") and graha (Template:Lang-sa "planet, seizing, laying hold of, holding"). Note that the Earth, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are excluded from the Navagraha,. However, the Sun is part of the Navagraha.

In astrology, the term planet originally applied only to the five planets visible to the naked eye and excluded Earth. The term was later broadened, particularly in 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 in the Hindu calendar also correspond with the seven classical planets, and are named accordingly in most languages of the Indian subcontinent. Most Hindu temples around the world have a designated place dedicated to Navagraha worship.

Planets, celestial bodies and lunar nodes

Navagrahas:

No.	Image	Name	Western equivalent	Day
1.		Surya, Aditya	Sun	Sunday
2.		Chandra, Soma	Moon	Monday
3.		Mangala	Mars	Tuesday
4.		Budha	Mercury	Wednesday
5.		Bṛhaspati, Guru	Jupiter	Thursday
6.		Shukra	Venus	Friday
7.		Shani	Saturn	Saturday
8.		Rahu	Ascending node of the Moon
9.		Ketu	Descending node of the Moon

Carnatic music

Muthuswami Dikshitar, a Carnatic music composer from southern India composed the Navagraha Kritis in praise of the nine grahas. 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

• Jyotisha
• Nakshatra
• Saptarishi
• List of Hindu deities
• List of Hindu pilgrimage sites
• List of Navagraha temples
• List of Natchathara temples
• List of Hindu temples
• Planets in astrology