Mars in Krittika Nakshatra (Mangal in कृत्तिका)

Krittika, the 3rd of the 27 nakshatras, covers 26°40′ – 40°00′ of the sidereal zodiac, across the boundary between Aries and Taurus. Krittika is ruled by the Sun, so Mars in Krittika stands in the Sun’s star.

Mars and the Sun count each other a friend, so in Krittika the graha and the lord of its star agree about each other. The other two nakshatras the Sun rules, Uttara Phalguni and Uttara Ashadha, put Mars under the same star lord.

Mars in Krittika, Pada by Pada

By rashi, Mars in Krittika is in its own sign in pada 1 (Aries) and in a neutral sign in padas 2, 3 and 4 (Taurus), because Krittika crosses from Aries into Taurus. By navamsa the four padas fall in Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Mars’s strongest navamsa in Krittika is pada 2 (Capricorn, exalted), and its weakest is pada 3 (Aquarius, in a neutral sign).

Neither Mars’s deepest exaltation (Capricorn) nor its deepest debilitation (Cancer) degree falls inside Krittika, and Mars’s moolatrikona lies outside it as well, so in Krittika the rashi and navamsa verdicts above are the whole of Mars’s dignity.

When Mars Is in Krittika, 2026–2028

• 16 June 2026: Mars enters Krittika, and leaves on 4 July 2026 — 18 days.
• 26 May 2028: Mars enters Krittika, and leaves on 13 June 2028 — 18 days.

Those are the two spells Mars spends in Krittika between 1 January 2026 and 1 January 2029, 36 days in all. Over the same span Mars stands in every one of the 27 nakshatras. The dates are days only; for Mars in Krittika a minute would be more precise than the ayanamsa behind it.

Inside Krittika: what the tables locate there for Mars

Of the 49 complete spells Mars has in the table, in any nakshatra, the shortest is 16 days and the longest 47; the Krittika spells, at 18 and 18 days, sit inside that range.

Krittika as the Setting for Mars

In the nakshatra tables Krittika’s deity is listed as Agni and its symbol as razor; its gana is Rakshasa, and the muhurta texts put it in the Mishra class (mixed). Those belong to Krittika whichever graha is in it, and they are read on the Krittika page. What changes with Mars is everything above: the dignities in Aries and Taurus, the relation to the Sun, and the dates. None of it is a prediction for anyone born with Mars in Krittika; the house it occupies and the dasha running decide what the placement does in a chart.

Related Placements

The sign-level reading is on Mars in Aries and Mars in Taurus; Mars in all 27 nakshatras is on the Mars nakshatra table. For the nakshatras themselves, see the 27 nakshatras guide and astrology for beginners.

The Other Grahas in Krittika