The eight kootas, 36 points
Ashtakoota scores eight dimensions with fixed classical weights that sum to 36. Ristara uses the classical weights unchanged. The full koota table and our product bands live on the science page; we link to it here rather than repeat it.
Sidereal zodiac and the Lahiri ayanamsa
Every Ristara calculation uses the sidereal zodiac with the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa, the convention Vedic practice assumes. The ayanamsa is set inside the thread that performs each computation, so a chart calculated by a background worker uses the same convention as one calculated by the live service.
One engine behind every surface
The same calculation engine produces every compatibility score Ristara shows, on every surface. There is no separate marketing calculation.
Doshas and their cancellation conditions
Classical texts describe conditions such as Nadi, Bhakoot and Manglik dosha, and the same texts describe the conditions under which each is considered cancelled. Ristara checks the cancellation conditions in the same pass as the dosha, and reports both together. A flagged condition is never shown as a final word.
The cancellation rules Ristara applies are drawn from Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, Phaladeepika, and Muhurta Chintamani.
Twenty-seven nakshatras
Scoring reads the Moon's nakshatra, one of the 27 lunar mansions, for both people.
What the threshold means, and what a band is
Classical tradition fixes one threshold, 18 of 36, below which a pairing is not recommended, and Ristara does not introduce below it. The bands above that floor are Ristara's own product bands and carry no classical warrant. See the full table on the science page.
Indicative, never deterministic
A score indicates where two charts agree and where they ask for effort. It does not decide anything. Ristara uses these readings to shape who is introduced to whom and what each person is told to look at; the relationship itself is made by the two people in it.
Corrections
When Ristara finds a calculation error, it is fixed at the source, the affected readings are recalculated, and the change is listed here with its date. Corrections are not quietly overwritten.
- 2026-08-12 - No corrections have been published yet.
Methodology maintained by the Ristara team.