India is a land of astrology. Since ancient times, astrology has always been regarded as an important discipline of study. The legendary kings and emperors of all races and religions in India were able patrons of Indian astrology. Starting from the valiant king Chandragupta Vikramaditya to the famous Muslim Mughal emperor Akbar all had noted astrologers in their courts. Even before that, Vedic astrology in India had found a significant place. The four Vedas that talk at length about various aspects of life, also elaborately explain the secrets of astrological calculations.
Vedic astrology usually focuses on the cycles of life. Its astrological calculations are based on the birth time and date of a person. This ancient Indian science also emphasizes on keen observation of planetary positions and astral location, as it believes that the planets influence human lives. In the earlier stages, Vedic astrology believed that only stars influence the conditions of human lives. But later it also included the zodiac sign, or specific constellations of stars, in its calculation parameters. The system incorporated 27 constellations, in which there are 12 zodiac signs, 9 planets and 12 houses. The main subsections of this type of Indian astrology are Siddhanta astrology, Mundake astrology and Hora astrology. Each of these subparts also has several small braches or categories. The confluence of Indian Vedic cultures and Buddhist traditions mingled at various proportions and created several variants of this branch of Vedic science. The study also reached the faraway monasteries of Buddhist regions growing into fully distinct kinds of astrological practice.
Indian astrology also thrived in the subsequent era. Islamic rulers and conquerors brought in African and East European use of symbols in making predictions. The West Asian tradition of Tarot reading gradually gained solid ground in some Indian subcultures and various popular astrological methods like parrots making predictions came into existence.
In the present era, astrology has found a new popularity with the easier access to chart or kundli making options online. Various software programs now make astrological calculations very easily and thus making predictions becomes an easy task. Several websites on astrology offer free horoscope services. The members or customers can get their birth-chart made instantly by just putting in the time and date of birth.
Match making also become very easy on these free astrology sites. Matrimonial websites also have tie-ups with several such free or paid astrological websites that prepare the online birth-charts of prospective brides and grooms. On various social networking websites also there are various free astrology applications that offer daily one-line predictions. Among Indian youngsters astrology is now a favorite topic. In most newspapers and magazines astrological predictions appear regularly. Although in the popular media the astrological predictions follow the Western zodiac system, the old Indian tradition of astrology still has not lost its sheen and prestige. In serious affairs at a common Indian Hindu household the traditional astrological methods are followed, be it for fixing the date of wedding or for having the newborn’s naming ceremony.