Start with the records you have. Do not enter an invented time as if it were confirmed. A precise-looking chart can still be based on an uncertain input.
OlaMatch’s personal horoscope form requires a birth time. The form accepting a value does not establish that it is the correct time for you.
Where should I look first?
Check the hospital’s birth record if it is available, an older horoscope prepared near the birth, and any dated family notes. A birth certificate may show a date without a time. Ask relatives what they remember, and record who supplied the information.
Keep the source beside the time: “hospital record: 06:20” is different from “family recollection: sometime before sunrise.” If two sources disagree, retain both until the difference is resolved.
I only know an approximate time
Write down a range instead of quietly choosing its midpoint. The rising point changes through the day. Planetary positions also change, and a position near a sign, nakshatra or pada boundary may cross it within the uncertain interval. The effects depend on the date, location and size of the interval; there is no universal safe number of minutes.
| What you know | Useful next step |
|---|---|
| An exact recorded time | Check the date, AM/PM and birthplace against the original record. |
| “Between 6 and 7 in the morning” | Keep the full interval and ask which chart factors change within it. |
| “Just after midnight” | Confirm the calendar date as well as the time. |
| A birth star but no time | Keep the star as a separate family record; it does not identify an exact birth instant. |
A simple example
Suppose a hospital note says 00:15 on 8 June, while a relative remembers “the night of 7 June.” Those descriptions may refer to the same event. On the civil clock, 00:15 belongs to 8 June. Check the original wording before changing either date.
This is an example of a record check, not a calculation of anyone’s horoscope.
Can an astrologer reconstruct the time?
Some practitioners offer birth-time rectification using life events and traditional methods. A proposed time should remain labelled as a proposal, with its reasoning and uncertainty recorded. It is not a recovered hospital record or independently verified proof of the birth instant.
Bring copies of the records and an honest time range to the consultation. Ask which conclusions depend strongly on the time and which remain unchanged across the range. Avoid selecting a time because you prefer the resulting prediction.
What can I use while I check?
Explore a sample Jathakam PDF to understand the report’s layout. For births outside India, use the birthplace and time-zone checklist. The consultation preparation guide helps organise your questions.
Once the details are confirmed, you can prepare a Jathakam.
